The Los Angeles Clippers are now in a very bad position after the James Harden trade. Unless there’s a drastic change within this organization, this probably won’t change anytime soon. That being said, LAC’s front office should decide whether to move Harden soon or take the riskier road of wishing that the new big 4 will work.
Not the season start you would have expected in a Big 4
The Clippers have lost 5 straight and are 0-4 since the James Harden trade. Right now, they’re sitting on the 12th seed. Their last 4 games were against the Nets, Knicks, Mavericks, and the Grizzlies. Although losing to the first three teams was acceptable, losing in a close game against the Ja Morant-less Memphis Grizzlies is absurd, considering that this team only had 1 win before beating the Clips.
The Clippers are now 0-4 in the James Harden era pic.twitter.com/HBeRO4P8BN
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 12, 2023
James Harden making Kawhi Leonard, the fun guy, extremely frustrated is something you don’t see very often
There’s been talks about frustration in the Clippers locker room after continuously losing. According to Clippers writer Justin Russo, LAC’s superstars Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are growing frustrated following their loss to the Grizzlies on Sunday.
It’s not every day you see a disappointed and frustrated Kawhi. Does James Harden have something to do with that? Probably.
Kawhi Leonard was reportedly seen “growing increasingly frustrated” today and “took a while to come back to the bench” following a timeout.
(via @FlyByKnite) pic.twitter.com/QVUViI7fDI
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) November 12, 2023
James Harden’s negative effects on the Clippers, especially Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook are already very visible
Fans and analysts already predicted that the Clippers’ big 4 of Harden, Westbrook, Leonard, and George would be disastrous. First, Harden is a dominant ball handler, which means he would demand the ball more often. But, so are Russ, PG, and Kawhi. That alone is a recipe for this team’s demise.
The Clippers’ Big 4 in 4 games:
Kawhi Leonard: 18.8 PPG
Paul George: 17.0 PPG
Russell Westbrook: 14.0 PPG
James Harden: 13.5 PPG pic.twitter.com/G57JR8OMHT— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 12, 2023
Then, there’s the diva inside Harden, who will implode any time now. In their first 4 games this season, it’s already evident that they do not fit with each other, at least for James Harden with the Clippers. Also, believe it or not, before James Harden came into the picture, the L.A. Clippers already had a thing going on and their chemistry somehow developed after a year. But, then, the Clips made another questionable decision by trading for The Beard, marking a catalyst in the organization.
All of the team’s superstars’ averages dropped down significantly after Harden came. Meanwhile, the 2018 MVP, who is definitely not that guy anymore, is playing like he is lost out there. His plus/minus is the worst among all of the Clippers starters, in the last four games. Which heavily suggests that he does not fit.
Is James Harden the problem?
Just recently, the Mavs announced Brian Dameris went off on James Harden during a pregame segment on the Clippers vs Mavericks game. Dameris summed up Harden’s career in the past three years and how he destroys everything he touches. He even capped it off by saying that Harden was the “problem”. Turns out, many basketball fans agreed with him.
So, should the Clips trade Harden away? It’s still early to actually say this won’t work. But, by the looks of it, this is definitely not a championship-worthy team. They already had a great team before the season began, but why were they so eager to take Harden from the Sixers? Well, they’re the Clipper, that’s why.
