Due to the fact that he has been a positive among all of the negatives, head coach Tyronn Lue is unwillingly forced to overuse James Harden. Lue's offense would be left in pieces without Harden, explaining why he is averaging 36.5 minutes over the last 12 games. Thus, this is concerning, as the LA Clippers will be cooked if he goes down.
In fact, Harden tied his career high in minutes this season in the NBA Cup, in the group-play win over the Dallas Mavericks, with 51. Previously, he hit this mark nearly half a decade ago with the Brooklyn Nets, on January 20th, 2021, where Collin Sexton's memorable performance carried the Cleveland Cavaliers to a double-overtime win.
Moreover, Kawhi Leonard has been in action for the last two games after missing ten. His return should have cut Harden's minutes, and it did briefly, as he played 32 against the Cavaliers. Yet, Lue still showed the same old reluctance toward Harden, with him playing 37 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Clippers will become the worst team in the NBA if James Harden is run into the ground
There is nothing to be proud of the fact that Tyronn Lue could not help James Harden in his game-to-game workload this season. Lue may be the first name to blame, as after him are Chris Paul, Bradley Beal, and Kawhi Leonard.
The former MVP appears fine for now, even though he wore a leg sleeve against the Charlotte Hornets. But if his body gives out in the event of an injury, the Clippers will instantly remove the pressure from a sidelined Harden and leave it all to Chris Paul to manage.
Though he is just four years older than Harden, their small gap in age contains an unimaginable difference, as Paul's late-career production is light-years away from the 2025 All-Star and All-NBA guard.
The absolute most Paul is good for is 25 minutes, and that is on his best nights, which have yet to be seen. While he is still doing amazing for his age, the first-ballot Hall of Fame player is blatantly inefficient and cannot consistently score more than four points or two baskets.
That said, the Clippers' front office does not have a solution on deck for Harden's usage, but they need to stumble upon one soon. If it does not work or one is not found, LA's record could end up close to the Washington Wizards' and the Indiana Pacers'.