Idk what yall smoking on but without Harden this team wasn’t making it far. PG and Kawhi getting sloppy was just a matter of time and Harden could still be in Philly while we would still be losing those games.
Our FO knew that and they knew we need a big change to make it past the line.
That is why they decide to go for “the system” instead of just another all-star to stand in the corner.
Meanwhile now that he’s here Harden is treated exactly like that. “Just give the ball to PG and look at him playing ISO” “Just pass to Russ, let him cook and then try and build a wall from the bricks he hands you”
Harden is an amazing insurance for when PG/Kawhi go down - and it’s just a matter of time.
But if we want this team to win when everyone is healthy we need to trust “the system”.
James Harden is a 21ppg/11ast player and he’s not going to get these type of numbers if only offense we run through him is letting him take the ball up the court and then just watch the rest of the play.
In both of his games there were like 1 minute spurts when he decided to show us what we got and he hit a couple step back threes, a couple mid range shots and then… Ty Lue calls the timeout and Harden is back to playing a role of Jae Crowder.
James Harden is not Nicolas Batum. He’s not there to be a mere 4th option to watch the rest of the team commit the same mistakes they had for the past 4 years. He’s there to make a system change and he’s a great one to give that task to.
Right now I’m not happy with this move - but not because Harden isn’t what I expected. But because the rest of the team plays like nothing changed (and nothing needs to change).
PG saying he’s “on his bully shit” won’t be enough to fix this team’s deep rooted flaws that haunted us for the entire 213 era.
Keep it up fellas and we will see you fighting for a play-in spot at the end of the season just to get wiped in the first or second round just as we did last 4 years.
The system being having the game high of turnovers lol this is delusion
Harden needs to turn into Klay and just run around and hit jumpers
Ty Lue is a moron. Basically a younger Doc. Can only coach and get lucky with super stars. You need a real coach
In 2023 Harden needs an elite roller and complete control of the offense to be effective, that’s the system 1000 pick and rolls per game, Clippers can’t do that, even if they did I’m not sure that’s a championship formula. He can’t “cook” guys anymore, he can’t get to the basket( tbh he never could in the playoffs consistently that’s why his playmaking and efficiency dropped), he needs to develop an off ball game, which he is fully capable of given how well he shoots, he needs to move his ass in transition and give more effort on defense.
In 2023 Harden needs an elite roller
Let’s be real, he needs anyone but Zubac. Zu has the worst hands & athleticism in the NBA, we’ve known this about him for years. We saw it last year when he made 34yr old Jordan look like he was back in lob city. We’ve seen him fumble PGs passes repeatedly. Plumlee looked better & he’s far from elite.
You could put someone like Sharpe yesterday, an athletic big man getting paid $2 mill a year & he’d be better suited with James than Zu.
Clippers have and will continue to have the same problems. Turnovers, lack of effort on the glass, no youth, no athletic big.
(Mostly) Every team has weaknesses, it’s just the better ones are the ones that are able to navigate and minimize them. The lack of play calling will kill us and is currently.
They need to have real play calls for Kawhi and pg coming off of off ball screens or miss matches. If not let harden and Westbrook drive and kick.
I think if the clippers hit at least half of these great looks they are missing from these past two games we would be talking about them in a better light.
Once shots start falling we will be alright (hopefully lol)