We all know that the Clippers are on a high-profile Northern Expedition.
After beating the Suns in their last game,The Clippers have won 20 of their last 26 games, topping the league in the same period, currently with a 23-13 record, sits fourth in the West and is just two wins away from the Nuggets (26-12), who are third in the West.
The Clippers suffered a five-game losing streak after the Harden trade, and at the time they all thought that the Clippers had made the wrong decision and should not have traded so many forwards for a 34-year-old black hole of doubtful ball possession;
Looking at it now, it is clear that Harden is playing his role, the former MVP, three-time scoring champion, and two-time assist champion are becoming more and more consistent, and the cooperation with Ka Pepper is getting better and better.
Take the last game against the Suns as an example, Harden scored 15 points in a single quarter in the second quarter, played less than 30 minutes in the whole game, shot 6-of-8, 3-of-4 three-pointers, and 4-of-4 free throws19 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists, and his on-court plus/minus is +25, the highest on the team.
Harden has 10+ assists in five of the last six games, and the Clippers have won all five of these games, expanding to the last 26 gamesHarden had a total of 11 assists in double figures, and the Clippers won 10 of them, enough to see the effect of the "Harden system" on the Clippers.
In these 26 games, Harden played full attendance and averaged every game17.8 points 48 rebounds and 92 assists
1. In terms of scoring, Harden is definitely not as good as his peak self, but his average shot per game is only 112 times, the ball use rate is only 203%, less than half of his peak, and his offensive efficiency is quite good, with a three-point shooting percentage of 466%/41.8%/85.5%，The true hit rate is as high as 660%
2. Harden's average assists per game during this period ranked 5th in the league, not surprisingly, unexpectedly, he only averaged 27 turnovers,The assist-to-turnover ratio is 335, for comparison, last season was 317, two years ago it was 235, during the Rockets, the highest was an average of 5 per game7 turnovers, and as he gets older, his ability to control errors also improves;
3. In addition to offense, Harden can also send out per game1.3 steals and 10 blocksIn the game against the Warriors in mid-December, Harden also delivered 4 blocks in a single game, which may be rarer than 50+ in Harden's career;
More efficient offense, better passing, and more aggressive defense, Harden's help to the Clippers is visible to the naked eye, and the statistics can also be reflected, in the past 26 games:
When Harden was on the floor, the Clippers had 100 roundsScore 1236 points, 109 points conceded8 points,Win by 138 points,
Harden wasn't on the court, and the Clippers had 100 roundsScore 1105 points, 118 points conceded8 points,Net loss opponent 83 points
Period,Harden's cumulative plus/minus reached +250, a number that is not only first on the team, but also first in the league, ahead of Derrick White (+234), Alexander (+224), and fourth in the league is his teammate Leonard (+215).
It needs to be said that Harden, Leonard, and George, the trio is becoming the best trio in the league, and the three have played in 20 of the last 26 games, playing 429 minutes on the courtThe Clippers were able to score 124 per 100 rounds1 point, a net win over the opponent 174 points.
Here's what Leonard said about the trio's performance: ".As long as one of me, George, and Harden plays, it makes it easier for everyone else. Harden is really good at playing, he always creates easy layups, he can open up space for his teammates, he creates point guards, and I enjoy playing with them and we can all make the game easier. ”
If you remember, Harden said when he joined the Clippers: "I think I'm an offensive playmakerI'm not a system player, I'm the systemI need someone on the pitch who can trust me and give me trust. ”
These words were ridiculed by countless people during the five-game losing streak, but looking at it now, Harden really didn't lie, and when Tyronn Lue handed him the ball, the Clippers' game did become simpler, and the record list was also all the way north.
And for those fans who once looked down on him, Harden responded like this: "At the beginning, I didn't play well when I first came to the Clippers, and a lot of people looked down on me or the team in words, and now those who looked down on me before are gone, and I can't find them." ”
Interestingly, Harden has led the team to two beats over the Suns in the past week, scoring 19 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists (5 rebounds and 11 assists on 8-of-8 shooting).
And this offseason, the Suns could have gotten Harden, according to a report from The Athletic last JuneBefore the Suns got Beal, Harden wanted to join the Suns in a tradeHe hopes to join forces with Durant again while Harden attends Arizona at the University of Arizona, where he returns to practice every offseason.
Unfortunately, the Suns did not negotiate a trade with the 76ers, and they ended up getting Beal in a big trade, and then pushed Booker to the No. 1 spot due to a lack of point guards.
It can't be said that Booker didn't play well, and he has played at an All-Star level this season, but Booker is still more suitable as a scorer, and if they had brought in Harden at the time, maybe the situation would have been completely different.
As for Harden, all I can say isThere's a reason why an MVP is an MVP, Harden is a point guard at a historic level, his understanding of the game, his ball quotient needless to say, and he has basically won all the honors he deserves, these are all proofs. However, Harden is still missing a championship, the Clippers need Harden, and Harden also needs the Clippers, and hopefully, this year, it can be a little different.