James Harden had a rough start after he was traded to the Clippers, but things have started to improve and he’s spoken about how involved he is with the team.
Harden has been happy with the way head coach Ty Lue has allowed him to operate, which has started to help win games.
“They just allow me to get creative and read the defenses and see what they’re doing on the defensive floor, and every game is different to where [Lue] sees something and I’m allowed to sit back and do it,” Harden said.
“I’ve earned that respect and proven that I’m able to do that. I’ve had different guys guard me and different teams prepare and guard me in different ways, probably more than any other guard has ever seen before.”
The Beard likened his experience in LA to when he assimilated with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant in Brooklyn.
“Not so much Philly at all, but definitely similar to Brooklyn to where [Lue] just allows me to be myself,” Harden said. “And obviously he has certain plays and things he draws up after timeouts and whatnot, but we have our concepts. Obviously we know when [Kawhi Leonard] got it going, and [Paul George] got it going or in the pick and roll we’re generating really efficient shots.
“It’s pretty simple. It’s a game.”
With four veteran All-Stars on the team (Kawhi Leonard, PG-13, Harden and Westbrook) one had to make a sacrifice.
It ended up being Westbrook, who now starts each game from the bench.
Leonard, for one, is happy with the new adjustments.
“The job has changed a little bit,” Leonard said. “Now I’ve got more energy on the defensive end, but when my number is called, I gotta be ready to attack and create plays for my teammates, so it’s a little different dynamic getting used to instead of me bringing it up or calling every play for me coming up the court. We got another player that could do the same and make it easier.”
READ MORE: Paul George Opens Up on Russell Westbrook’s New Bench Role
