INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The Los Angeles Clippers made their Intuit Dome regular season debut without their best player. Kawhi Leonard’s absence was felt in the 116-113 opening-night overtime loss to the Phoenix Suns, but James Harden showed he is still capable of carrying a team.
While Leonard is the best player on the roster, Harden is the most important this year. Given his extensive injury history, the Clippers have to operate under the assumption that Leonard will not be available on a consistent basis, which leaves Harden as the lone star remaining night to night. His ability to be an effective high-usage player is vital to the team’s success.
UNO COMIN' THRU pic.twitter.com/pNqSCM7NyH
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) October 24, 2024
“There were a lot of positives out of that game. We played extremely hard, which is going to be our calling every single game. I gotta play way better. Having time off, getting adjusted to the pace of the game, all of the above. Shooting the ball well is something I can control, taking better shots, and turning the ball over,” said Harden.
Despite what he may say, Harden’s first game of the season was great. He turned the ball over eight times, did not shoot particularly well from the field, and ran out of gas in overtime, but that will all improve as he gets more games under his belt.
He showed that he can still play 40 minutes in a game and post 29 points, 8 assists, and 12 rebounds on the stat sheet. That is what it is going to take from the former MVP, and the Clippers will live with everything else because that version of Harden is what the team needs.
Classic Harden ? pic.twitter.com/p8FINv51E4
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) October 24, 2024
“Overtime put him in a spot we didn’t really want to be in as far as minutes, but we had no choice at that point. We need him to be special until Kawhi gets back,” said Ty Lue.
Over the past few years, Harden has been much more of a facilitator than the elite scoring option he used to be. Against the Suns, he only scored four points in the first half. He was looking to set up his teammates, and the Clippers fell behind.
He turned to his Houston Rockets James Harden mentality in the second half. He put the team on his back, scoring 16 in the third and eight more points in the fourth, turning what was once a 14-point Phoenix lead into a 10-point Los Angeles lead with six minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Welcome home, #ClipperNation ??? pic.twitter.com/3bEr4rezwX
— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) October 24, 2024
“I am fortunate to be able to play any role that is needed to win. For me, it is just playing basketball with a natural feel for the game, where I can go out there and score at a high clip or play make and assist,” said Harden. “For us on this team, it is a little bit of scoring and playmaking, and it is making guys’ jobs a lot easier.”
Even though the Clippers lost, they were playing against a really talented team with three all-star-level players, and if Harden’s cardio was in mid-season form, they would have won.
The Clippers can be a scrappy defensive team this year. They held the Suns to 103 points in regulation, which is impressive against any team in the modern NBA.
Derrick Jones Jr., Kevin Porter Jr., Terance Mann, Kris Dunn, and Amir Coffey all gave them great minutes on the defensive end of the floor. If Los Angeles can build its identity around its defense, it will give them the best chance to be successful and allow Harden to will them to victories.
Benjamin Verbrugge is a reporter for News4usonline who studied journalism at CSU Dominguez Hills. “Sports have brought me much joy throughout my life, and I want to give a little back to something that has meant so much to me.” Email Benjamin at benverbrugge8@gmail.com.