When the Brooklyn Nets acquired James Harden in January, there were questions about how he'd fit alongside two similarly ball-dominant players in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
But Irving has ceded his primary playmaking duties to the former Houston Rockets star, and he clarified as much to Harden during a recent practice.
"We established that maybe four days ago now," Irving told reporters, including ESPN's Malika Andrews, following Brooklyn's 134-117 win over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. "I just looked at (Harden), and I said, 'You're the point guard, and I'm going to play shooting guard.' That was as simple as that."
The 28-year-old added: "It's not a mystical conversation that we had."
Harden has a proven track record as a lead facilitator. The eight-time All-Star averaged 7.7 assists over parts of nine seasons with Houston, leading the NBA with 11.2 dimes per game during the 2016-17 campaign.
The former MVP has seemed similarly comfortable as the Nets' point guard, registering 11.6 assists per contest over 14 appearances with his new club.
Harden, 31, recently admitted it was "draining" to carry the Rockets' scoring load over the past several years, and he's welcomed the change in Brooklyn.
"I came to this team knowing that they have two special scorers on this team," Harden said. "Obviously, I score when I need to, but as long as I'm getting everybody involved and (Irving) is getting the shots that he wants, (Durant) is getting the shots that he wants, it's pretty efficient.
"Offensively is not the problem for us; we can score in bunches. It's defensively. It seems like we're getting a rhythm as of late. We just got to keep it up."
Brooklyn ranks third in offensive efficiency and 27th in defensive efficiency since acquiring Harden. The Nets are 5-2 when Harden, Irving, and Durant are all in the lineup.
