James Harden Fires Back at Ty Lue's Free Throw Comments

Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden responded to LA Clippers head coach Ty Lue
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While Ty Lue did not intend to criticize James Harden and Joel Embiid when mentioning that the two superstars would not be top-10 in scoring without free-throws, the dialogue surrounding his comments continues to persists. In a recent interview with Complex, James Harden addressed coach Lue's comments.

"I don’t even pay attention to it. Free throws are a part of the game. You look at who leads the league, Joel and Giannis, what about if you take away their free throws? I don’t understand what that comment meant. Free throws are a part of the game. It’s on the defense to have discipline and not foul. That’s what coaches should be teaching their players. For me I don’t pay attention to it, I just try to go out there and make an impact on the game in a positive way every night," Harden said when asked about Ty Lue's remarks.

Lue was asked about how to keep his players focused when guarding two players like Embiid and Harden, so when he referenced the unique statistic that emphasized how reliant the two star players are on free-throws, his comments became a major talking point. Lue has since clarified that he did not intend any disrespect to the two players, and was instead using that statistic to emphasize how difficult they are to defend; however, Harden still felt the need to defend himself from the free-throw narrative.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.