James Harden gets candid about HORRIBLE 0-4 start to life with Clippers, as Kawhi Leonard, Paul George’s form goes downhill with former MVP

James Harden poor performance has become a serious issue for the LA Clippers.

James Harden gets candid about HORRIBLE 0-4 start to life with Clippers, as Kawhi Leonard, Paul George’s form goes downhill with former MVP

James Harden (Credits: Los Angeles Times)

The Los Angeles Clippers lost their most recent game to the Memphis Grizzlies, 105-101, and are now winless since acquiring James Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers. The Clippers, who currently have a 3-6 record, surprised fans by losing all four of the games in which former NBA MVP has featured. Clippers had lost their previous three games on the road, and the Grizzlies game was their first home loss since landing their top target.

James Harden had a below-average performance. Of his twelve field goal attempts, he was only able to convert only four, and out of his seven attempts, he only made one successful three-pointer. The 34-year old finished the game with 11 points, four rebounds, and three assists, while committing four turnovers.

After the loss against the Memphis Grizzlies, James Harden said, “All of us, man, we’re all in this together. It’s not just one person. We’re all trying to figure it out together. So we all got positive energy, all trying to figure it out, and obviously, it’s tough losing games consecutively. But we’re all in this thing together. We know the bigger picture.“

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Harden’s arrival in Los Angeles has been less than ideal for the Clippers so far. While an adjustment period was anticipated, the 0-4 start has left fans and analysts bewildered. The signs are not good for the Clippers’ superteam.

Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook struggling with James Harden

Following the Clippers’ acquisition of James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook have suffered a slump in form. The offensive disarray, bad spacing, and other issues on both sides of the ball have been abundantly clear. James averaged a league-high 10.7 assists, 6.1 rebounds, 6.2 free throw attempts, and an effective 21 points per game last season.

James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Russell Westbrook
James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Russell Westbrook (Credits: Basketball Insiders and Fox16.com)

If we compare Kawhi, Paul, and Russell’s performances during the pre-Harden trade and post-Harden trade, we see a lot of difference. Before Harden joined Kawhi, Leonard averaged 23 points, whereas since the trade, his average is down to 18.8. Paul George was enjoying a tremendous start to the season, scoring 28 per game. However, in his last four with Harden, his averaged has nosedived to 17. Russell Westbrook too has suffered a slight slump, going from 15.2 points per game to 14 since his reunion with his former teammate.

Although the Harden era in Los Angeles has started badly, the Clippers will be banking on their veteran superstars and the coaching staff to figure out the team chemistry and get back to winning ways.

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