Let us first take a look at what important members of the Los Angeles Clippers think of the addition of James Harden? President of team operations Lawrence Frank spoke to reporters and explained why he believes James Harden is a game-changer and thinks he can improve the Clippers’ ceiling.
Paul George said: “It’s not every day you get a chance to get someone of his caliber.” And Kawhi Leonard said Harden is one of the best players in the NBA.
The trade is done, and now that the dust has settled it’s time to figure out if the players the Clippers spent so much money to acquire can make a difference. Harden arrived in LA last Wednesday, averaging 20 points and 10 assists per game. This deal may usher in a new era of speedboats, or become the last mile of this space battleship.
At 34 years old, Harden is still an All-Star caliber player. He led the league in assists last season and averaged 20 points per game for the Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs. The Clippers have been looking for another playmaker for months. They once inquired about offers from Malcolm Brogdon and Jrue Holiday, and finally targeted Harden, who is better than the other two on the offensive end.
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It’s understandable that the word “glass” has become the Clippers’ symbol. Before this season, Leonard and George had played just 142 games together in their five-year partnership. During this period, the Clippers’ record was 96 wins and 46 losses, but the two played in only 38% of the Clippers’ regular season games (118 of 308 games) and in the playoffs. 65% (24 of 37). The two played together in 38 games last season and neither played in the final games of the series against the Phoenix Suns.
The advantage of introducing Harden is that it can add insurance against injuries. On paper, he is also the third offensive point the team can rely on.
The Clippers believe Harden will fit in, and they saw him do that in Brooklyn, where Harden teamed up with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and built an incredibly potent offensive firepower. They saw this in Philadelphia, where Harden once again changed his game to fit Joel Embiid’s style of play.
“He has the ability to be reassuring and all he cares about is winning. He wants to win a championship with the Los Angeles Clippers. He wants to take his career to the next level. He’s won a lot of individual awards. He wants to be legendary. Part of it,” Lawrence Frank said confidently.
However, from the team’s perspective, we can’t help but worry about this. Despite Harden’s many achievements and honors, Harden’s ideas have always been questioned. He had temper tantrums in Houston and Brooklyn, so it came as no surprise to fans when the Sixers didn’t trade him as quickly as he had hoped.
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Photo credit: Getty Images Harden wanted to go to Los Angeles for a number of reasons. He was born in Los Angeles and has the opportunity to join three other stars born in Southern California (George, Leonard and Russell Westbrook) to become the historical representative of this franchise. In addition, the Los Angeles Clippers are the team most likely to give him the last lucrative long-term contract. After all, the owner is Steve Ballmer, the richest owner in the NBA.
Last Thursday, Harden’s words, “I’m not a system player. I was born with my own system.” went viral on the Internet, but it was more like a blurted out statement. Although this was just an attempt to explain how he would fit into the Clippers’ lineup, showing that he knew the sacrifices needed to come to Los Angeles. He understands that Leonard and George are the bosses, and re-establishing chemistry with Westbrook is critical to the Clippers’ success.
“I encountered a similar situation in Brooklyn, where there are two players who can score and can cause defensive mismatches at any time. Whether on or off the court, pick-and-roll, catching or shooting, I believe I can do it. It’s been great. There are a lot of great coaches here and unselfish teammates,” Harden said.
But is this really sustainable? The reality is that the Clippers are now led by four key players, and they are all in the process of exchanging contracts. Westbrook (2016-17 season) and Harden (18-19 season) were the two players with the highest usage rate in NBA history. Last season, both George and Leonard were ranked in the top 40.
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“We can’t have the idea of, ‘This guy’s going to jump out and win a game, or that guy’s going to steal a win for us.’ We still have to give it our all at all times, like we’ve always done in the past. I think we all We’re mature enough to understand each other what we want to do here,” Leonard said.
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Leonard and George have a way of working with each other, but how will Harden fit into their style of play? Harden is by no means an elite defender, does that take away from what was a great defense in the past? The Clippers refused to give up Terance Mann in the Harden trade. What role will he play after Harden joins? What about Westbrook? Film of the two meeting in the Los Angeles locker room on Wednesday seemed to have an awkward vibe, after they spent a COVID-19-interrupted season together in Houston with mixed results.
“This will be a process, and I don’t know how to answer it. I don’t predict the future, let everything take its course. If we can fight side by side, everything will be fine. As I said, this will be a process. I don’t have the answer. I I don’t know what the end looks like,” Westbrook said.
Speedboats have changed a lot in recent years. Signing Leonard, trading for George, and welcoming the arrival of Westbrook, this doesn’t look bad so far, but Harden is another new problem. This could be a critical success or a massive failure, and it’s hard to see anything in between.
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[Special Editor Lin Changyi/Responsible Editor Xie Yiqian]
Reference for compiling this article:James Harden Will Make or Break the Clippers
2023-11-07 15:59:12
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