Even more than his stints in Brooklyn and Philadelphia, James Harden believes he has much more to prove in joining the Los Angeles Clippers.
Harden delivered his first comments to the media since being traded to the Clippers.
During his introductory press conference with the Los Angeles Clippers, Harden told reporters that he felt like he was “on a leash” while with the 76ers as he had to adjust his style of play.
“When I meant a leash, I don’t mean just shooting the basketball every time. I meant, like, I think the game and I’m a creator on the court. If I’ve got a voice to where I can say, ‘Hey, Coach, I see this. Whatchu think about this?’ Then it’s like, ‘Alright, OK.’ Someone that trusts me, that believes in me, that understands me.”
He boldly added: “I’m not a system player. I am a system.”
That last statement alone should scare everybody with the Clippers.
Harden also added that he expected to retire as a Sixer, but it appeared that the front office “didn’t want him” after last year.
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Harden does believe he has the ability to play with any player in the league, which will be important on a star-studded Clippers team.
“I’m elite as an individual, and can fit in with anybody to make a championship run,” he said.
He expects to make his Clippers debut on Monday, when the Clippers travel to New York to play the Knicks.
James Harden is coming off another spectacular year where he averaged 21.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 10.7 assists and 1.2 steals per contest. Those types of numbers will make the Clippers a very dangerous team in the Western Conference.
