The Los Angeles Clippers suffered their fifth consecutive defeat on Sunday night, as the lowly Memphis Grizzlies beat them 105-101. It was the fourth straight defeat with James Harden in the lineup and he struggled an awful lot in this one, so much so that his lowlights went viral.
THE SYSTEM IS MALFUNCTIONING pic.twitter.com/VctW5FfDPH
— BricksCenter (@BricksCenter) November 12, 2023
That was a pretty bad sequence, to airball a three and then get your shot blocked, but then another moment came, which made matters worse.
Harden with the air ball in the clutch 😬 https://t.co/kjZLMVQl3O
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 12, 2023
To be fair to Harden, it appears David Roddy got a touch on the ball as he contested the shot, so it wasn’t an airball. The 34-year-old had also hit a big three to tie the game less than a minute earlier, but by no means does it take away from the fact that this was yet another poor showing from Harden.
He ended the game with just 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. The 10-time All-Star shot just 4-12 from the field and was 1-7 from three. Harden also had the worst plus-minus in the game at -28 and the Clippers simply played better when he was off the court.
When he exited the game toward the end of the third quarter, the Grizzlies were leading 79-64, and when he returned toward the end of the fourth quarter, the lead was cut down two points. In his four games, the Clippers are now -67 with him on the court and +24 with him on the bench, which is concerning.
James Harden Might Be Facing An Uncertain Future In The NBA
While I do believe that things will get better for Harden as time goes by, there is no guarantee that it will happen. What we have seen so far from him is quite terrible, as he is averaging just 13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game.
Harden was unfazed by his slow start with the Clippers, as he pointed to not having a pre-season under his belt and stated he’d need around about 10 games to get going. Not having a pre-season and then heading over to a new team would lead to some struggles, but if there isn’t significant improvement as the season goes on, you do wonder about his future in the league.
Harden will be a free agent in 2024 and considering some of the baggage that comes with him, teams might look the other way if he isn’t playing at a high level. They’d especially be unwilling to give him the big contract that he so clearly desires. So, he seriously needs to up his game if he is to get that last big payday next summer.
Tyronn Lue’s Message For James Harden
Harden is under more and more pressure by the passing day and so is head coach Tyronn Lue. He’s the one charged with getting this team to play together at a high level and so far, Lue hasn’t done a great job of it.
Team meetings are already taking place and Lue stated that he just wants Harden to be himself. He thinks the former MVP is trying too much to fit in and that they need to allow him to be himself. Lue also states they will play through Harden.
I’m not sure Harden can be himself in a team like the Clippers, however, as that would be detrimental for the likes of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook. It will be interesting to see how this situation develops as the season goes on.
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