James Harden experienced what the Brooklyn Nets call a “setback” in his hamstring rehab and is now out indefinitely.
“Back to square one,” Nets coach Steve Nash said on Tuesday. “We will rehabilitate him and bring him back when we can, and who knows when that will be. We will support James and our performance team to get him back in the best possible shape. And hopefully that will come sooner than later, but there is no guarantee. “
Harden experienced the setback during an “on-court rehab session” Monday and had an MRI on Tuesday, according to the team’s statement. Nash said Harden did not fall or perform a specific maneuver that caused him discomfort.
“He just felt it,” Nash said. “He didn’t fall or trip or something special; he just felt something in the margins of a trunk. Then the scan showed that he had suffered a setback. So not much more than just disappointment and that we have to rebuild and get it back on the road. get going. “
Harden has missed the Nets’ last six games. He last played against the New York Knicks on April 5, when he signed on for just four minutes before suffering an overload. Harden had dealt with some tightness in the hamstring before exacerbating the problem against the Knicks. He made good progress in his rehabilitation and traveled with the team on the current road trip to further ramp up his 3-in-3 and 4-in-4 workouts.
On Friday, Nets CEO Sean Marks said that Harden was “making good progress” and that he had “met the markings so far.” Now the Nets will be forced to continue short term for the foreseeable future.
“He’ll be back when he gets back,” Nash said. ‘That may only be during the play-offs. It could be sooner. I do not know.’
Kevin Durant, who is also out for Brooklyn with a left femur contusion, has a more “positive” prognosis than Harden, Nash said. Durant was diagnosed with the bruise after tangling with Miami Heat security guard Trevor Ariza on Sunday. Nash said Durant is day to day.
Harden scores an average of 25.2 points, 8.0 rebounds and 10.9 assists per game for the Nets. Durant averages 27.3 points, 6.7 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game.