James Harden, after a drawn-out leverage battle involving the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers, finally got his wish as the Sixers sent him packing to the Clippers four months after the Beard initially requested a trade after opting into his contract for the 2023-24 season. This, according to a few reputable analysts, was a necessary move for the Clippers as they aim to maximize the limited title window they have with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George leading the way.

Harden, even though his reputation around league circles has tanked due to his prickly nature, remains an All-Star caliber player, a nightly 20-10 threat who gives the Clippers yet another lethal shot creator from the perimeter. He can be a game-changing presence when he's at his best, but injury woes have sapped him of his athleticism in recent times and have made him a more inconsistent offensive player, as prone to 4-16 shooting nights as he is to 30-point explosions.

Now with the Clippers, what can fans expect out of the 2017-18 league MVP? Here are a few bold predictions for how James Harden's 2023-24 season will turn out now that he can put all the off-court distractions aside and focus on his ultimate goal: winning a championship.

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James Harden posts his lowest usage rate since 2012

It will be interesting to monitor how the Clippers allocate the touches for their shot-creators. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will certainly get theirs, so it'll be fascinating to see who swallows their pride and willingly takes a backseat. Russell Westbrook has had to do his fair share of deferring; with Leonard and George healthy, Westbrook hasn't exactly been prioritized in the offense the same way he was in the past. James Harden may have to do the same too.

There's no mistaking that Harden will now be the Clippers' most lethal playmaking weapon. Harden's stepback jumper remains a nightmare to defend, and the mere threat of his jumpshot opens up a ton of passing lanes which bring out the best in his teammates. But with the Clippers, he won't exactly have to do too much creating, as his other teammates can do that for themselves at a high level as well.

The best asset James Harden can give the Clippers is injury insurance; even if Kawhi Leonard or Paul George go down due to injury (knock on wood), Harden can then step up and give the Clippers another All-Star-level threat to pick up the slack. But in these bold predictions, we are foreseeing a mostly healthy season from both Leonard and George, so Harden, who had a usage rate of around 25 percent in a Sixers uniform, will have to be the one to sacrifice the most shots for the betterment of the team, posting usage more in line with his numbers in an Oklahoma City Thunder uniform.

The Beard will come off the Clippers bench on multiple occasions

Now, this might be an out of the box idea that won't ever come to fruition, but this is why these are called bold predictions, aren't they? James Harden hasn't come off the bench in ages, and there's no reason to think that now that he has established himself as a future Hall of Famer, he'll be willingly going back to the role he began his career playing.

But the regular season is a grind, and the Clippers have a ton of options at the guard spots; perhaps head coach Tyronn Lue decides to bring Harden off the bench on multiple occasions in which the team needs more defensive stability in the starting lineup, with Terance Mann starting instead.

It's not like James Harden won't be on the floor come crunch time; he'll still be in the Clippers' closing lineups, but he'll just be coming off the bench in some games to give the team more balance as well as so he could feast on opposing bench units.

Harden picks it up in the playoffs

James Harden has earned a reputation over the years of being an underperformer in the playoffs. That has mostly been valid. While Harden has had plenty of stellar postseason games (in the 2023 playoffs alone, Harden had a few scoring explosions for the Sixers), he tends to disappear when his back is against the wall.

But now that he doesn't have the pressure of being the second option, and now that he's more of a supporting cast member of one of the best postseason performers in history in Kawhi Leonard, Harden should be more than capable of stringing together more consistent outings, helping the Clippers mount a deep playoff run in Year 5 of the 213 era.