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It is a good thing for the Nets that James Harden is around.

And we mean that literally. He was at Nets media day on Monday, a signal that he is vaccinated and able to play games at Barclays Center, which is more than can be said for Kyrie Irving.

If it is possible that a nine-time All-Star superstar who might be the best scorer in NBA history is overlooked, Harden is the test case. He is not Kevin Durant, a player whose size and skill combination renders him into a nearly different species of athlete. He is not Irving, who led the basketball renaissance in Brooklyn and has since garnered the most attention because of his various eccentricities, the latest being a reported rejection of the COVID-19 vaccine that is jeopardizing his playing time this season.