Nets’ James Harden, Paul Millsap Cleared from NBA’s Health and Safety Protocols

AP Photo/John Bazemore

Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden and forward Paul Millsap have been cleared from the NBA’s health and safety protocols, head coach Steve Nash told reporters Thursday.

Harden was placed in the health and safety protocols Dec. 14, with Millsap having been placed in protocols one day earlier. 

The 32-year-old Harden sat out the previous game as a rest day, his first missed action of the 2021-22 season. Both Harden and Millsap have missed the last four games.

Though Harden stayed mostly healthy throughout his career with the Houston Rockets, he hasn’t had quite as much luck with the Nets, missing significant time in 2020-21 because of hamstring problems.

The production has also dropped for a player who won three straight scoring titles from 2018 to 2020. Through 26 games in 2021-22, he is averaging 20.8 points, 9.6 assists and 7.9 rebounds per game.

However, the nine-time All-Star remains an elite offensive weapon for a team that has high expectations this season.

Getting Harden and Millsap back is a step in the right direction for the Nets, who at one point had double digits in protocols. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are among the players still in protocols.

Irving has not played in a single game this season after declining to get vaccinated. The Nets, however, recently decided he would rejoin the team and play in road games.