What Happened To James Harden? Why Is James Harden Not Playing?
After a successful Round 1 series with a healthy roster, the Brooklyn Nets will now play without James Harden. Though the team acquired James Harden in January in hopes of the Big Three, they have barely played on the court together. Now, as Harden once again suffers from a hamstring issue, the Nets will play on without one of their stars. Why is James Harden not playing with the Nets  James Harden will not play in Game 3 vs. Bucks pic.twitter.com/BDVL86DE7S  Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 9, 2021  According to recent reports, James Harden will be missing the Eastern Conference semifinals Game 3 against the Milwaukee Bucks. However, the Nets still maintain a 2-0 lead over the Bucks. Game 3 is scheduled on Thursday (Friday IST) at 7:30 PM EST (5:00 AM IST). Head coach Steve Nash stated that Harden is recovering, and might be able to recover soon. However, they do not have a timetable for his return. Jeff Green will also be missing the upcoming encounter. James Harden injury latest  James Harden walked to the locker room after appearing to injure his hamstring on his first drive of Game 1. pic.twitter.com/drDfqQovVK  SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 5, 2021  The Nets won Game 1 with a 115-107 score. Harden attempted to drive on Jrue Holiday, passing the ball to Blake Griffin. Later, he was gripping his hamstring as he walked across the court. The team called a timeout, and Harden had to exit the game. The Nets  having acquired Harden in January  have been playing with their big three on the court for the first time in a long time. Harden has played 36 regular games for the Nets while missing 18 games with a right hamstring injury. He returned on May 12, just before the team made their way to the playoffs Round 1 vs the Boston Celtics. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant also missed multiple games, Durant missing weeks due to his hamstring injury. As a trio, Irving, Durant and Harden have played only eight games together. Harden was averaging 24.6 points, 10.9 assists and 8.5 rebounds for the Nets, shooting 47.1% from the field. Brooklyn Nets injury report  Jeff Green  Out, foot  James Harden  Out, hamstring  Spencer Dinwiddie  Out  James Harden salary  YEAR BASE SALARY YEARLY CASH 2020-21 $41,254,920 $34,190,721($70,002,284) 2021-22 $44,310,840 $44,310,840($114,313,124) 2022-23 $47,366,760 $47,366,760 ($161,679,884)  (Image credits: James Harden Instagram)