The Los Angeles Clippers were most recently defeated 98-79 by the Golden State Warriors, dropping their record to 2-2 overall to begin the season. It was an abysmal offensive display for the Clippers. However, James Harden is playing well overall and deserves more respect.
Of course, Harden is known as one of the better offensive players in the NBA. Still, he is not always regarded as a true superstar these days. In the past, he was a consistent MVP candidate, but Harden has only made one All-Star team over the past three seasons. Still, despite the Clippers' underwhelming performance, the veteran guard looks like an All-Star at the moment.
Harden is currently averaging 21.3 points, 8.0 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals per outing across four games played. He is also shooting 49 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from deep.
In the 2024-25 season, Harden quietly finished 10th in NBA All-Star voting while earning an All-Star selection. Harden led the Clippers to the postseason as well. Although the team did not reach their championship goal, Harden reminded the league of how dominant he can be when healthy.
The Clippers need James Harden to lead the way
If the Clippers can avoid too much injury trouble during the 2025-26 season, LA should be able to make a deep postseason run as James Harden and Kawhi Leonard lead the way. There is work to do, though, as the offense is clearly still looking to find chemistry overall. Against the Warriors, LA managed only 10 total assists in the game.
Meanwhile, the Clippers were strong from a defensive standpoint a season ago. If they play up to their full potential, the team should be able to find success on the defensive end of the floor once again. The Clippers need defense to be a strength since their offense may be questionable at times outside of a few players.
The outlook remains bright for the team despite their up and down start to the new campaign. James Harden will likely continue to play at a high level -- something that will only help Los Angeles moving forward. If he can record MVP-caliber numbers again, perhaps Harden will earn more respect overall. Harden's play will go a long way toward determining how well the Clippers perform this season as well.
At the moment, the Clippers are trying to develop chemistry and find better overall results.