After all the drama surrounding James Harden this summer, calling his former boss a liar and requesting another trade out, it seems that this time he’s out to prove himself on the basketball court and wants to make things work in Los Angeles. However, he’s entering a star-packed club that already features Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.
When asked how he expected to fit in this loaded roster, he guaranteed he’s a world-class athlete that can play with anybody and make the team stronger.
“I’m very elite as an individual and then I can fit in with anybody and make a championship run work,” he said during his introduction. “I think all of us are on the same page in the sense of the individual stats and all those things are past us and we all got one goal and I think everybody knows what that is.”
“I am not a system player. I am a system.”
Full comment from James Harden: pic.twitter.com/wWfLzgndlO
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) November 2, 2023
These are The Beard’s first official comments ever since he landed in L.A. on Monday night. He realizes that a narrative about him polarizing his squads has been created, and he’s out to show he still has what it takes to contend for an NBA title at 34-years of age.
The 10-time All-Star explained why he believes that head coach Tyronn Lue should build the strategy around him, instead of making him adapt to the other stars.
“I’m just not a system player; I am a system. You know what I mean?,” Harden claimed. “So somebody that can have that dialogue with me and understand and move forward and figure out and make adjustments on the fly throughout the course of games, that’s all I really care about. It’s not about me scoring.”
As for meeting up again with Westbrook, the veteran guard assures that he’s one of the reasons he wanted to play in Los Angeles.
“I’ve been knowing Russ since Boys and Girls Club in LA,” he recalled. “So our relationship goes far beyond basketball. He was one of the reasons [for wanting to be traded to the Clippers]. He feels like he has something to prove as well. We got a goal that we’re trying to accomplish. And what better way to do it together in LA.”
Harden detailed why his relationship with the Sixers got fractured over the offseason and how the front office had other plans with him
According to the 34-year-old, he would’ve preferred to stay in Philadelphia the rest of his career, but he simply couldn’t stand playing for president Daryl Morey after his deception. Harden believed he was worthy of a long-term contract, but the team’s administration didn’t see the same potential in him.
“The front office had other plans,” James revealed. “They didn’t want me, and it is that simple. There’s a lot of narratives. But none of that is true and I’m not the type to go back and forth or be explaining to myself because you’re always going to take something out of what I say and make it into a different story. Long story short, I’m happy I’m here.”
The Sixers’ new coach Nick Nurse said on Thursday that he always felt like his chances of working with the veteran star were low, and trading him off was probably for the best.
“When he opted in, I said, ‘OK, we get a chance to coach him.’ Then the stuff happened and I went, oh. Up and down, up and down a little bit. There were times, yeah, when I thought for sure. Then he showed up in practice,” the trainer said. “I will say this, he was in shape, worked extremely hard, was extremely professional while he was here and he looked awesome. He really did, while he was here. We just never got to the game part of it all.”
