James Harden shares what he thinks Clippers still need to work on

With what is basically a whole new team on their hands, there is still plenty the LA Clippers can work on, both from an individual and team standpoint. There are few squads in the NBA that underwent the kind of turnover LA did this offseason, and growing pains are not just likely, they are to be expected.

The Clippers still have plenty of exciting young talent, to go along with proven veteran leadership. There are plenty of reasons to optimistic about this squad, not the least of which is the top-tier coaching ability of Ty Lue. If he can turn several of these young unproven players into legitimate rotation guys, all of a sudden this team could be looking dangerous.

With all that in mind, the Clippers are still ironing out their mistakes at this early point in the game. Lue himself said that this team has a long way to go, and it does not seem like they expect themselves to come right out of the gate and be the best version of themselves they can be right away. That will likely come after some trial and error.

After practice on Thursday, Terance Mann was answering questions with the media when he was randomly joined by James Harden. Given that Mann was answering the question of what LA can still improve, Harden opted to jump in and answer the question himself.

Harden: Clippers can still work on transition defense

Firstly, Harden walking over to join Mann for his interview seems to be a good sign of chemistry and camaraderie among the players. It is very rare to see a player insert themselves into a situation where they have to talk to media, since most do not enjoy it. But James did it here simply to have some fun with his teammate.

After doing so, Harden's answer was revealing for where this team is at. "Transition defense," he said. " I got to be better turning the ball over. That's going to help with our transition defense and rebounding the ball. Other than that, we've been solid."

If that is truly the biggest of the Clippers' worries, then they are truly in fantastic shape. But perhaps the more significant caveat here is the fact that Harden chose to take responsibility and proclaim that his turnovers were one of the biggest things that needed correcting. Whether that is actually the largest issue or not is inconsequential.

It is the fact that James did what a good leader does and recognized that especially while Kawhi Leonard is out, this team will largely go as he goes. Stepping up and showing humility, even in a little way like this, means a lot for where his head is at going into the season.