The Los Angeles Clippers are notorious for their load management practices, but former MVP shooting guard James Harden is refusing to join the routine. Instead, contrary to Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, Harden is committed to playing as many games as possible for the Clippers and that includes back-to-back games.
“Even when we want to sit him down when we have 4 games in 5 nights, he doesn’t wanna do it,” said Tyronn Lue via Joey Linn.
Harden, 35, forced his way to the Clippers from the 76ers back in 2023 in exchange for Marcus Morris Sr., Nicolas Batum, Kenyon Martin Jr., Robert Covington, KJ Martin, and draft picks. It’s been a rocky tenure ever since, but Harden has emerged as the hero of the season for his rejection of the “load management” routine.
The Clippers are one of the teams most known for utilizing the strategy, which involves resting star players in back-to-back games to preserve their bodies for the playoffs.
Of course, Kawhi Leonard is the champion of this trend, and he’s been finding ways to miss games since his days with the Spurs. In four years, despite averaging 24.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game on 50.4% shooting, he’s hardly been available and the Clippers have yet to go further than the Conference Finals.
Together, he and Paul George made it a regular thing to skip games for no other reason than a day off, and we saw how it affected the team when they repeatedly failed to make a title run. With Paul George gone now, Kawhi Leonard is still committed to his ways and it seems he’s not budging on his stance.
Fortunately for the Clippers, James Harden has vowed to play in every game that he can (23 of 24 total games he played this season), making him the only star who is consistently available for the franchise this season. Against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday, he helped his team to another important victory, finishing with 23 points and 7 assists on 40.0% shooting.
With key role-players like Norman Powell, Derrick Jones Jr., Ivica Zubac, and Terance Mann, the Clippers have one of the deepest rosters in the league and they have versatility on both ends, even without Kawhi Leonard.
Plus, with head coach Tyronn Lue running the locker room, the Clippers have lost all of the tools they need to be a competitive team in the West. The only thing they are missing is a superstar who is ready and able to play for them consistently.
With averages of 22.3 points, 8.8 assists, and 6.9 rebounds per game this season, Harden is back to his All-NBA form and the Clippers are thriving at 14-9 (5th in the West). He is setting the example for his teammates and giving the Clippers a chance to compete this season.
If Kawhi returns at just the right time, things could get interesting in the West and the Clippers may end up surprising a lot of people. For now, all they can do is take it one game at a time and focus on what’s in front of them. For now, that’s a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight, at Intuit Dome, at 10:30 PM EST.
It’s their last game this week before a showdown against the Rockets at 9:00 PM EST. That will be their last game at home before facing the Nuggets on Sunday, December 13th, at 9:00 PM EST at Ball Arena.
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