The Los Angeles Clippers are 0-2 in the two games they’ve played with new guard James Harden, suffering defeats to the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets. After Wednesday’s loss in Brooklyn alleged video of Harden partying in the club after the loss made its way around the internet. Does it matter that Harden was in the club and what is it specifically about him that seems to get people so irritated?
Harden Rubs A Lot Of People The Wrong Way
Through two games Harden is averaging 14 points and five assists per game on 55/44/100 shooting splits. Small sample size, nothing really to go on here. He’s still in a feeling-out process with his new teammates.
This is Harden’s fourth team in four seasons. The way he left Houston, Brooklyn, and Philadelphia leaves a sour taste in fans’ mouths. There is no getting around that.
On the court alone he’s earned over $330 million in his career, add in conservatively another $100 million in off-court earnings and its good to be Harden. That part surely bothers people.
Then there are the playoff failures. Though a lot of that is a bit overblown. He’s been to an NBA Finals and multiple conference finals. His Rockets teams couldn’t beat the Kevin Durant Warriors. A lot of teams couldn’t.
In last season’s playoffs the 76ers were up 3-2 on the Celtics and he played well that series. He had a bad Game 6 and the whole team had a bad Game 7. When you look at the final numbers for that series, the biggest indictment was MVP Joel Embiid played well below his MVP level.
Does Harden party a lot and have a lackluster disposition on defense, especially in the regular season? Yes. There is no denying that.
Harden Has His Flaws But Is A Basketball Savant
But let’s not act like he’s some bum. His seven-year peak with the Rockets is some of the best basketball in the history of the sport. Look it up. Put his seven-year peak up against any of the all-time greats and you’ll probably be shocked. The man is a basketball savant.
The Nets were a juggernaut with Durant, him and Kyrie Irving. The latter’s unwillingness to get vaccinated derailed that train.
Last year when he didn’t make the All-Star team, an egregious error, the common thought was he was done as a player. He finished in the 96th percentile in EPM and 97th percentile in EW. He hasn’t been below the 95th percentile in either metric since 2011, his last season in Oklahoma City.
Here are some players he finished ahead of in EPM last season: Paul George, Devin Booker, Ja Morant, Trae Young, Chris Paul, Zach LaVine, De’Aaron Fox and Jaylen Brown.
Rumors of his demise have been greatly overstated. You kind of understand what he meant in his initial press conference as a member of the Clippers about being a system.
“When I said ‘on a leash’, I don’t mean just shooting the basketball every time. I think the game. I’m a creator on the court. If I’ve got a voice, someone that trusts me, believes in me, understands me – I’m not a system player, I’m a system” Harden said. “If I have someone who can have a dialogue with me, make adjustments on the fly throughout the course of the game, that’s all I really care about. It’s not about having the basketball, or scoring 30, 40 points a night. I’ve done that already.”
Yes, he might like the club too much and he may never win an NBA championship. But the two are not mutually exclusive.
It’s easy to hate on Harden and some of it is justified. But whether or not he goes to the club will not be the determining factor in the Clippers’ quest for a championship.
