The Los Angeles Clippers have often been a competitive team in recent seasons. Yet, once the postseason begins, something changes. LA has been unable to find the secret to reaching the next level and making a deep playoff run. James Harden is looking to lead the team to the NBA Finals during the 2025-26 campaign.
Of course, Harden will need help from his teammates, such as Kawhi Leonard. However, Harden may be the player who will make or break Los Angeles' NBA Finals chances. There are a number of reasons for this, but one specific facet of the game stands out.
In 2024-25, the Clippers finished with a strong 50-32 record. They were technically fifth in the Western Conference standings due to tiebreaker rules, but LA finished the season with the same record as the No. 3 Los Angeles Lakers and No. 4 Denver Nuggets. It was a successful regular season for the Clippers.
Harden finished 10th in NBA MVP voting after averaging 22.8 points, 8.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game. He shot 41 percent from the field and 35.2 percent from beyond the arc. It wasn't his most efficient season, but Harden's scoring was crucial nonetheless. He was quite aggressive, as his 16.4 field goal attempts per game was his highest mark since 2019-20. Harden also recorded his most three-point attempts (8.5) since 2019-20 as well.
The Clippers were ultimately eliminated early in the NBA playoffs, however. Harden's approach also seemingly changed in the postseason. Perhaps it was a result of defensive strategy by opponents, but Harden began taking less shot attempts. He averaged 18.7 points on 14.4 field goal attempts and 6.3 three-point attempts per outing. Although Harden was technically more efficient, his lack of scoring aggressiveness did not benefit the team.
Across his seven games played in the 2025 postseason, the Clippers guard averaged 9.1 assists per outing. He continued to get his teammates involved, but the Clippers needed Harden to find the bottom of the net on a more consistent basis.
It would be interesting to see how Los Angeles would have performed had Harden been able to be more aggressive in the playoffs. LA will need James Harden to lead the way in that department this year. It is not all Harden's fault, though. His Clippers teammates will need to step up and force opposing defenses to have more than a couple players to truly be concerned with.
It will require a team effort. Harden's scoring aggressiveness will be the secret to success in the playoffs.