This summer, the Clippers lost Paul George and Russell Westbrook, leaving James Harden and Kawhi Leonard as the team leaders. Kawhi got hurt before the season even started, and everyone penciled the Clippers as a lottery team. Yet, Harden made a promise at Media Day, and so far, he is fulfilling it.
James Harden Fulfilling Media Day Promise
With a 13-9 record, the Clippers sit in the seventh spot in a crowded Western Conference. That is a spot nobody outside of the organization believed they will be before the season started.
Harden, however, believed he can still carry a team to the playoffs. On Media Day, he talked how the team still has him and he can be a good-enough scorer to get them to the playoffs. Speaking about the Clippers’ new-look offense, he said,
“I’m going to tell you one thing, it’s going to involve a lot of me. Not just because I can create a shot and I can get guys involved. There’s always going to be talk. There was talk when I was in Houston, and I was doing what I was doing, people saying you can’t win like that.”
The Beard suggested that the Clippers can be the Dallas of last season, when the team made the Finals. He said,
“You just saw a guy last season make the Finals playing the same exact way I played. Team’s got to be constructed very well, and you got to have a little bit of luck.”
Harden also talked how it will take a team effort for the Clippers to be good. He said,
“As a leader, there’s been a lot of situations where we made people believe in us. So, I feel like this is an opportunity. We got a lot of guys in the locker room, so I’m excited for what we have. It’s going to be a team effort. You know, you got a lot of guys who can contribute. And I’m excited for Zu being better offensively and having more impact. Obviously, we know what Norm can do. And then we got a couple other guys.”
Is This Houston Harden?
Of course not. The Houston version of Harden is a closed book, and the Beard is not trying to say he will average 30 points again. But every once in a while, he can do it. In the last game against the Denver Nuggets, he scored 39 points on 10-26 shooting, including 6-15 from behind the arc. But here is the important part, he went 13-13 from the free-throw line. Houston Harden was the most menacing attacker, averaging 10+ free throw attempts per game for six straight seasons.
If we look at usage rate percentage, it is clear that Harden has a lot more freedom this year. Last season, his usage rate was 20.2%. This year, his usage rate is 29.9%.
His scoring numbers are up, but his efficiency is down. Harden has upped his PPG from 16.6 to 22.3, but his efficiency has dropped from 42.8% from the floor to 38.5%.
Is Harden Doing it Alone?
With the injury to Leonard and the departure of PG, the Clippers desperately needed someone to score the ball. And while Harden is having a good season, the Clippers have other weapons.
The biggest beneficiary is Norman Powell, a player who was a good role player the previous seasons, and has now emerged into a top scorer. Powell is averaging 23.6 points per game on improved shooting percentage, 49.2% from the floor and 49.6% from behind the arc. Powell is the leading scorer on the Clippers, and one of the biggest reasons why they are still in the playoff mix.
Center Ivica Zubac has also gotten more touches and attempts, and he is averaging 15.3 points. The Clippers also got Derrick Jones Jr. this summer, and he is averaging 10.0?points for them.
Harden Reaches Milestone in Clippers Win
In the last game against the Denver Nuggets, Harden scored 39 points, but also reached a huge milestone. He became only the second player in league history to hit more than 3,000 3-pt shots, joining Steph Curry.
Speaking after the game, Harden said,
“Another one of those accomplishments that you never take for granted. The amount of work that I’ve put in — countless days and nights where I put the work in — a lot of people don’t see it but the results happen, so I’m just thankful.”
