James Harden could debut with the Los Angeles Clippers at Madison Square Garden against the Knicks on Monday.
Harden, acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers along with PJ Tucker, reunites with Russell Westbrook on a star-filled L.A. roster led by Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Harden and Westbrook played together with the Oklahoma City Thunder and later played with both Westbrook and Tucker in Houston.
Tucker played in Wednesday’s game, an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
With four days between games, Clippers head coach Ty Lue said the window will be used to further introduce the offensive system to Harden.
George said he talked to Harden and said all four established players have discussed what the foursome could do joining forces prior to the trade.
“That’s the reason why he’s here. We wanted him here. We all said we think we can make it work — we’ll figure it out,” George said. “But we obviously got to practice. We got to play for us to really get on the same page and understand how to play on the floor with one another.”
Team president Laurence Frank said Wednesday night the Clippers are working Harden into the franchise and are likely to have him ready for live action early next week. The first opportunity for a potential debut is Monday night in New York.
Harden’s history for acclimating to rosters with established alphas was part of what convinced the Clippers to make the much-discussed move, Frank said.
“He’s a 10-time All-Star. He has an elite skill set, and all he cares about is one thing: He wants to win a championship for the L.A. Clippers,” Frank said. “He wants to be part of something bigger than himself. He’s had all the individual awards. He’s about doing something really special.”
–Field Level Media