Nets' James Harden Has a 'Ways to Go' in Hamstring Injury Recovery, Nash Says

Brooklyn Nets star James Harden still isn't close to a return from the hamstring that has kept him out of the last 11 games.

"He's shooting and doing all his strength and rehabilitation work," head coach Steve Nash said Tuesday, per Kristian Winfield of the New York Daily News (via CBSSports.com). "So positive signs there, but still I think a ways to go."

The Nets have just 10 games remaining in the regular season that ends for them on May 16, providing limited time for Harden to return before the start of the playoffs.

After his holdout and eventual trade from the Houston Rockets, the 31-year-old got off to a fast start as part of a Big Three with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. 

However, his season has been truncated because of hamstring issues. He missed a pair of games at the end of March with tightness in the muscle and lasted only four minutes in his return on April 5. He was sidelined to recover, but the team announced on April 20 he had suffered a setback and would be out indefinitely. 

Harden was averaging 25.4 points on 46.7 percent shooting with 11.0 assists and 8.7 rebounds per game since joining the Nets in January. 

While losing the nine-time All-Star is a major blow, the Nets still have what it takes to fight for a title as long as Durant and Irving can stay healthy. After all, the trio of superstars have only played seven games together this season, and the Nets supplemented their lineup with the addition of Blake Griffin at the deadline. 

Brooklyn is currently 42-20, good for first place in the Eastern Conference.