James Harden scored 17 points as LA lost to New York in his Clippers debut.
NEW YORK – Even before his team lost by 14 points in James Harden’s debut on Monday, LA Clippers head coach Ty Lue expressed the right opinion.
“That’s good [the trade for Harden] “It happened so early in the season,” he said. “We have a long time to figure things out.”
This was Game 6 of 82. It wasn’t pretty; The Clippers’ 22 turnovers were four more than in any of their first five games. But this team has four incredibly talented players who could complement each other quite well, and it still needs 76 games to make it happen.
Here are some notes, quotes, numbers and film from Harden’s debut with the fourth different team he has played for in the last three years.
1. A star-studded lineup
Lue started all four of his future Hall of Famers on Day 1. Maybe there will be a (non-injury) change in the lineup at some point, but now is the time to see if Harden, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook can work together. Finally, we don’t know how many games all four will be available for.
Their time together was interrupted when Lue called the worst time with 4:25 left in the fourth quarter and his team trailed by 14 points. But the four stars played 19.2 minutes together and posted a minus-10 in that time, with ugly numbers on both ends of the floor:
- On offense, the Clippers scored 37 points on 39 possessions (95 per 100) and eight turnovers.
- On defense, they allowed 47 points on 39 possessions (121 per 100).
2. One of the best pick-and-roll passers in the game
As talented as George, Leonard and Westbrook are, none of them can match Harden as pick-and-roll playmakers. While it may seem excessive to have so many players who are best with the ball in their hands, the new guy adds to the mix.
“He’s a guy that we can consistently use in high pick-and-rolls,” Lue said before the game, “and make the right play, make the right pass, make the right read.”
A big reason why Joel Embiid won the Kia NBA MVP Award last season is because Harden passed him the ball in the pick and roll. Ivica Zubac isn’t an MVP candidate, but his new teammate will give him some easier hits. Pick-and-roll player Harden showed up early, with a nutmeg pass through the legs of Mitchell Robinson that set up free throws for Ivica Zubac, as well as a set-piece assist for Zubac:
Three possessions later, Harden set up Zubac for the Clippers’ first field goal.
Passes to the rollman will be crucial as the Clippers have been a jump-shooting team in recent years. Westbrook has helped them put more pressure on the rim, and Harden’s passing game can do the same.
Harden also gave Norman Powell an open three-pointer late in the first half on a pick-and-roll drive.
Harden said his role as a ballhandler is to “create the best shot available no matter who is open. The defense dictates that.”
3. A variety of actions
The Clippers didn’t rely too much on the Harden/Zubac pick-and-roll. Here are some other actions we just saw in the first half:
George/Zubac pick and roll with Harden and Leonard spaced out and Westbrook at the dunker spot (baseline, just outside the zone).
- George/Westbrook pick and roll with Zubac in the dunker spot.
- “Spain” or “Stack” pick-and-roll with Westbrook taking over the play and George setting a backscreen on the big.
Harden is the pick-and-roll expert. Westbrook puts pressure on the rim. Leonard is the iso machine that allows the Clippers to hunt matchups. And George can fill almost any role on the court, with the Clippers also running some sets on Monday to get him the ball over the screens to the top of the court.
“Unlimited possibilities,” Harden said of the Clippers’ potential.
4. Kawhi Leonard is “the best player.”
Sacrifices must be made with this group. The collective can be incredibly good, but the stars’ individual numbers obviously won’t be what we’ve seen if they have less top talent around them.
Leonard was the only one who got a little lost in the newness of the Clippers’ offense in the first half. So Lue made sure he had the touches he needed to score early in the third quarter. On the first possession, he rolled off a strong Westbrook guard and reached the rim:
The Knicks defended better on the next possession, but Leonard still got a good look in the post.
When asked about the intent of those first few possessions, Lue was clear.
“He’s the best player,” he said of Leonard. “Everyone has to make sacrifices, but I thought with the matchup against Kawhi we could attack a little more instead of spreading it out.”
Midway through the third quarter, Harden appeared to give Leonard an open 3. But Leonard is not a guy who can catch and shoot the ball quickly when he plays off the ball. He finally gave Harden an open look, but also hesitated before missing a harder sidestep 3.
In the fourth quarter, Leonard had another clear look to the strong-side corner after a pick-and-roll feed from Harden. And he drank it.
“Be ready to shoot,” Leonard said bluntly when asked about playing with Harden. “He has a pick-and-roll, he can make plays and you’re usually open. So be ready to shoot the ball. It’s easy.”
5. Harden leads the second unit
Last season, the maximum number of minutes played per game by a four-man combination was 24.3. So there will be fewer than four Clippers stars on the court for at least half of the game. If they’re all healthy, Lue can have at least one, maybe two, on the floor at any given time. But over the next five months he has to find out which combinations work best.
On Monday, Harden was the first of the four to be substituted, returning later in the first and third quarters to lead the Clippers’ second unit, with Bones Hyland, Norman Powell, PJ Tucker and Mason Plumlee also on the field.
“Honestly, whatever the coach and the team ask me to do,” Harden said of the second unit role. “I am very versatile. More pick and rolls in that second unit.”
And that’s why he was put in this position.
“I like that he can have the ball in his hands,” Lue said, “make plays and score the basketball, run the pick-and-roll.”
Against the Harden-plus-reserve unit, the Knicks had their best performance, a 10-0 run in the third and fourth quarters that gave New York a seven-point lead. The rest of the Clippers stars soon returned to the field, but were unable to stop the Knicks’ onslaught. New York scored on its first ten possessions in the final period, the Clippers’ sluggish offense couldn’t keep up and Lue soon pulled the plug.
Next up for the Clippers is the Nets in Brooklyn on Wednesday (7:30 p.m. ET, League Pass). Then they play their first in-season tournament game in Dallas on Friday (8:30 p.m. ET, League Pass).
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John Schuhmann is a senior statistical analyst for NBA.com. You can email him here, his archive can be found here and Follow him on Twitter.
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