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James Harden's Statement After Russell Westbrook, Paul George Departures

The LA Clippers will look very different this season.

Joey Linn

LA Clippers guards Russell Westbrook (0) and James Harden (1) against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena.
LA Clippers guards Russell Westbrook (0) and James Harden (1) against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena. / Dale Zanine-Imagn Images
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The LA Clippers had four future Hall of Fame players on their roster last season. Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden are all from Southern California which added another unique dynamic to the quartet.

Prior to the Harden trade, the Clippers had Westbrook starting at point guard alongside Leonard and George. The team initially attempted a starting lineup with all four stars, but moved Westbrook to the bench after a six-game losing streak (five with that lineup).

The Clippers went 26-5 from December 2 to February 5, but just 17-16 the rest of the season. Paul George said on his podcast earlier this summer that it was difficult adjusting to not only Harden’s arrival, but the departure of Nicolas Batum and Robert Covington.

Asked at Monday’s media day about his mindset now that George and Westbrook are gone, Harden placed a strong emphasis on his individual aggressiveness.

“Aggressive. Aggressive,” Harden said. “We tried last year to where, you know trying figure it out and guys and their roles. It’s kind of difficult when you got high caliber players or Hall of Famers and basically the same position, everyone trying to figure their roles out. It was pretty difficult, but this year for me I got a clear space for what I need to be doing.”

James Harden and Kawhi Leonard
Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden (1) and forward Kawhi Leonard (2) against the Brooklyn Nets at Crypto.com Arena. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Admitting it was difficult with the four stars together, Harden said his approach is much clearer this season with it just being he and Leonard as the team’s heavy lifters.

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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.

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