Nets' James Harden Feeling 'Really Good' in Injury Rehab; Confident in Playoff Return

Having missed 17 of the past 18 games with a hamstring injury, Brooklyn Nets star James Harden is confident he will return before the postseason begins. 

Speaking to reporters Thursday, Harden said he's "very confident" in coming back at some point during the regular season. 

Harden added that he feels "really good" and has started going through conditioning drills, as well as changing speeds and direction to test his hamstring. 

Harden's last appearance in a game was on April 5 against the New York Knicks. He only played four minutes before reaggravating a hamstring issue that kept him out of the Nets' previous two games. 

The team announced the following day that Harden's MRI revealed a strained hamstring and he would be reevaluated in 10 days. 

On April 20, the Nets revealed Harden was being shut down indefinitely after suffering a setback in his rehab. 

Brooklyn has succeeded this season despite not having Harden, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving for long stretches. Durant missed 23 games from Feb. 15 to April 5 with a strained hamstring. 

The Nets' 43-23 record ranks second in the Eastern Conference. They have six games remaining in the regular season, which is scheduled to end on May 16. 

Harden is averaging 25.4 points on 46.7 percent shooting, 11.0 assists and 8.7 rebounds per game in 34 contests since the Nets acquired him from the Houston Rockets.