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Los Angeles Clippers point guard James Harden committed his loyalty to the franchise during Monday's media day for a reason that some wouldn't expect.
“I'm home… I'm home and I don't plan on going anywhere else,” Harden said. “I want to leave a legacy, especially having that opportunity here at home. I love everything that we're doing. A lot of outsiders and people who are analysts or whatever you want to call them don't really have high expectations for us but we have high expectations for ourselves. I've never missed the playoffs my entire career, so I feel our entire team, we have a lot to prove.”
After the Clippers lost Paul George in free agency with the Philadelphia 76ers, it was uncertain what the future of the team would look like. Luckily, the franchise has Harden's word about staying with them. However, there is some skepticism about what he said.
Harden has a history of jumping from team to team in the last four seasons. He went from the Houston Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets, to the 76ers, and now with the Clippers. On the Nets and 76ers, he teamed up with a variety of superstars but was unable to reach his goal of an NBA Championship, or even reach the NBA Finals.
Can James Harden leave a legacy with the Clippers?
Still, the Clippers have their facilitator who has his legacy. He's won three MVP trophies, led the league in scoring three times, and is a two-time assists leader. The statistics cannot be overlooked but his playoff resume isn't as close to dominant as the regular season.
Despite the Clippers making the playoffs when Harden arrived, they didn't surpass the first round. However, in the 2020-21 season, they made it to the Western Conference Finals before being eliminated by the Phoenix Suns. The trio of George, Harden, and Kawhi Leonard wasn't enough to get over the hump.
Funny enough, Harden didn't perform poorly in the 2023-24 playoffs. He averaged 21.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and eight assists per game while playing 40.3 minutes a game. Although Leonard dealt with an injury, he and George couldn't escape the Dallas Mavericks in a grueling six-game series.
Regardless of the Clippers disappointing playoff series loss, they still have an exciting season. Bringing back their core group, in addition to head coach Tyronn Lue can make them more of a threat than some might expect. Los Angeles begins preseason play on Saturday against the Golden State Warriors.
