After providing much-needed guard depth for the Brooklyn Nets over the last 11 games, Mike James will stick with the team for the remainder of the season.
James, a Lamar University graduate, has signed a contract to stay in Brooklyn through the playoffs, the Nets announced on Thursday. While playing under two separate 10-day contracts, James averaged 7.1 points and 3.7 assists in 17 minutes per game.
Nets coach Steve Nash said James has fit well with the team since returning to the NBA last month after playing the last two seasons for CSKA Moscow in Russia.
“We’ve been very happy with Mike,” Nash said after Wednesday night’s win over the Spurs. “It’s a big ask to play for a different team in a different country for a different coach and adapt quickly into a team that has big aspirations.
“We love his talent, and we love his potential,” Nash added. “There’s been some inconsistency to his play, which is natural considering all those parameters I expressed, but we still think he’s been really valuable to our team.”
James himself has expressed the challenges of fitting into a team with so many superstars. In the EuroLeague, James was asked to carry the scoring load every night. Now, he has to pick and choose his spots off the bench with All-NBA players like Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
James Hardin returned to the Nets on Wednesday after missing 18 games with a hamstring injury, making scoring opportunities even more sparse for the Lamar alum.
“I think just because my role’s a little bit different, that’s kind of hurt me scoring wise,” James said after a win over the Chicago Bulls this week. “But I don’t really know how to explain it. I think just because we have so many different scorers, it’s made me a little tentative at times.
“That’s what happens when you’re on a championship team, especially like I did super late,” James added. “So, I’m just happy to be in the rotation right now and be able to play.”
James, a former EuroLeague scoring champion, was suspended indefinitely by CSKA in late March after an altercation with coach Dimitris Itoudis. While he was on a three-year deal until 2023, the Russian powerhouse let him go.
But CSKA’s loss looks to be Brooklyn’s gain as the Nets push toward the playoffs. At 46-24 overall, Brooklyn holds second place in the Eastern Conference with two games left to play.
A 2012 graduate of Lamar, James helped lead the Cardinals to a Southland Conference championship during his senior year. He was named the tournament’s most valuable player.
James is now a nine-year professional with most of that experience coming overseas. He played 32 games for the Phoenix Suns during the 2017-18 season, as well as four games for the New Orleans Pelicans.
In Brooklyn, James figures his game will improve as he continues to get more comfortable in his role.
“It’s a work-in-progress,” he said. “I think the more I play and the more comfortable I get, I’ll play better.”
mfaye@beaumontenterprise.com
twitter.com/mattGfaye