Many were worried about the Los Angeles Clippers after it was announced that Kawhi Leonard would miss the start of the 2024-25 NBA season.
The Clippers had already lost Paul George to the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency. And with Kawhi still not fully recovered from the knee injury that plagued him last season, many people didn't think James Harden could carry the Clippers on his back. Three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner Lou Williams says it's crazy how quickly we forget.
"When was James Harden's success ever be hedged on somebody else being on the court?" asked Lou Will on the Run it Back on FDTV podcast. "I think this is where he is most comfortable. We're talking about a former MVP in the league, so is he still the system? I think so."
Harden's best years were his solo run in Houston
Harden's most successful run in the NBA was when he played for the Houston Rockets from 2012 to 2021. During that span, he blossomed into a superstar and won MVP honors in 2018.
At his peak in Space City, Harden not only had those incredible scoring runs but also turned the Rockets into perennial contenders. He took Houston to two trips to the Western Conference Finals, including the one in 2018, when they were up 3-2 on the KD-boosted Warriors.
" He has nobody to defer to," Williams added. "I think this is where he plays his best basketball when he's the for sure go-to guy, when he's got the ball in his hands. He is a ball-dominant guard. He needs that ball to be successful. And so you give him the ball, he's gonna win you basketball games."
The Clippers are surprising a lot of people
So far, Harden's strong start has seen the Clippers pick up big wins over the highly touted Denver Nuggets and Golden State Warriors. If not for a crucial missed call in the final minute of their opening night game against the Phoenix Suns, they could have easily been 3-0 right now. But that's another story.
In three games that he played in, Harden has averaged 25.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 11.7 assists. It's still too early in the season, but if Harden keeps up this pace all year long, he will be the first Clippers player to ever average 20 points and 10 assists per game in a single season.
Before the Clippers took the floor in their Intuit Dome debut, team owner Steve Ballmer was asked if he honestly thinks the current Clippers team can win the championship after losing PG. Ballmer didn't say yes, but he said he liked his team's chances of surprising a lot of teams. So far, they have done that.
Related: James Harden insists he never had to adjust his game: "I'm one of the people that the NBA had to adjust to”
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