Former Houston Rockets player Chandler Parsons shared an interesting note on his former teammate James Harden. Following the latter’s poor performance in Game 7 of the Clippers-Nuggets series, Parsons highlighted Harden’s shortcomings in those situations.
“He’s a Hall of Fame player. He’s unbelievable. One of my favorite teammates I’ve ever played with,” said Parsons. “The game seven is a mystery.”
“I am going early. I am going aggressive. I am doing almost too much, just imposing my will and my offensive talents on a game,” he added, sharing his mentality heading into Game 7 situations. “This is when James Harden has to go rogue and be aggressive and go have that explosive 35, 40-point game and do what he does.”
Parsons seemed quite underwhelmed with the performance Harden had at such a crucial juncture in the season. After a series of impressive outings against the Denver Nuggets, the Clippers guard effectively disappeared when the team needed him to step up as the scoring threat he is.
Harden was, however, particularly poor in Game 7. In 35 minutes of playing time. He racked up only seven points. Although he had five rebounds and an impressive 13 assists, he only took eight shots in the game. This displays a tentativeness to playing offense that doesn’t bode well for a star player.
Harden averaged a solid 18.7 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 9.1 assists in the playoffs this season. An interesting trend, as his scoring numbers came down from the regular season, where he averaged 22.8 points per game, to go with 5.8 rebounds and 8.8 assists.
This kind of hesitation to shoot the ball is shocking considering the kind of player he usually is. Although he is a tremendously gifted playmaker, Harden is a scoring weapon. His shot creation and shooting ability are what made him great. This passive approach in such a crucial game is a rather disheartening sight, especially since the Clippers were making such a solid run against the Nuggets.
A 120-101 loss marked the end of the season for the Los Angeles Clippers. This sends the team into the postseason with a lot of things to consider, especially regarding their future with Harden on the team.
The guard has a player-option in his contract worth over $36 million for the next season. Given the 35-year-old’s track record in the playoffs, the Clippers may be best served by looking at other alternatives.
However, there have been rumors that the Clippers will continue to build around the core of Harden and Kawhi Leonard. While this may not necessarily reflect well on their chances of winning a title in the present, the franchise will certainly have plans to strengthen its roster in other ways.
