Life for the LA Clippers changed dramatically this week when they officially acquired James Harden in a trade that shook the NBA landscape. The three-time scoring champion comes to Los Angeles to join forces with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, as they try to cement themselves as one of the best teams in the Western Conference.
So far, there has been a mixed reaction to Harden becoming a member of the Clippers. While he has been one of the best players in the NBA over the last decade, questions about his fit on the roster remain. On Thursday, Harden did his best to dispel any notion that his head is not in the right place.
Having been accused of caring about his individual stats in the past, James Harden spoke to media and made it clear that his top priority with the Clippers is winning. “We all have one goal, and I think everybody knows what that is,” said Harden. “For me, it’s just going out here and finding the best way to contribute to this team … I just want to win at the highest level.”
Here are all of the times James Harden mentioned sacrifice and adaptability during his Clippers press conference.
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) November 2, 2023
He made it clear that winning is his only goal. pic.twitter.com/FU3sbscosR
James Harden is saying all the right things
Clippers fans have to be thrilled to hear that Harden is taking this mindset. Due to age and injuries, he is no longer the offensive manifesto that he once was, and he will not be able to consistently will his team to wins like in the old days. The fact that he is recognizing this from day one is an excellent sign.
Harden also got into complimenting his teammates’ abilities when talking about what this group hopes to accomplish. “We have some really unselfish players to where if one of those guys like Norm (Powell), Bones (Hyland) or any of those guys have it going, we can let them go,” said Harden.
It is clear that Harden is approaching his time in LA with a team-first attitude. We will see whether this truly translates onto the court or not, but his words thus far are the best that fans could have hoped to hear.
He concluded his media session by hammering home his mindset of doing everything necessary to be a winning team. “Whatever Ty Lue and the coaching staff needs me to do … as long as we win the game and everyone is feeling confident and good about themselves, that’s all that really matters.”