The Los Angeles Clippers pulled off a somewhat controversial trade after the season had already begun acquiring All-Star guard James Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers. The Clippers had been playing well to that point and it was unclear how Harden would fit with the already established team chemistry. The Clippers initially struggled in the immediate aftermath of the trade but have seemingly turned things around. Former NBA player Channing Frye admitted that he was not a fan of the trade at first and even now he's wondering if they can keep up this level of play.

The Clippers started off 0-6 immediately after the James Harden trade, but have since gone 11-3 and have now won six games in a row. The Clippers starting lineup initially featured Harden and Russell Westbrook as the starting backcourt, but Westbrook has since moved to the bench with Harden taking over as full-time point guard.

While Harden has at times, been a little more passive than the Clippers need him to be, he's seemingly found his rhythm and fit alongside the team's other stars in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. In 19 games with the Clippers, Harden has been averaging 16.6 points per game, 4.7 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.5 steals with splits of 46.5 percent shooting from the field, 41.8 percent shooting from the three point line and 87.6 percent shooting from the free throw line.

The Clippers have been making a surge in the Western Conference standings. They've climbed over .500 and are currently 14-10. They are in seventh place which would be a play-in spot, but they are only half a game back of the fifth place Los Angeles Lakers.