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The anxiously awaited trade of James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers had a difficult start. Both the athlete and the organization are now looking for explanations. The partnership between Harden and the Clippers, which remained at the forefront since his bitter exit from the Philadelphia 76ers, hasn’t worked out as planned.

Since the Clippers have difficulty despite the Harden trade, the real question is if they can find a way to unleash The Beard’s brilliance and flip their current situation. For that, the retired guard Jamal Crawford on a podcast pointed out why Harden is not performing at the Clippers.

Jamal Crawford gives his expert opinion about Harden’s disastrous performance

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Jamal Crawford, the Knicks legend, starred as a guest on the podcast, “Come Talk 2 Me”. There the panelists asked him about the situation of the Clippers at the moment and he said, “If I’m being honest, Kawahi Leonard is their best player. They’re gonna go furthest with him being their best player. So whoever’s game doesn’t mix well with his, that person needs to come off the bench. And for me, that’s James Harden. He plays better when he is making decisions when he is the guy, the focal point. But he is not a catch-and-shoot guy.”

He said that James Harden should be the player to come off the bench and even with that he can play 30 mins and get 20 points and 10 assists. Crawford also suggested that Harden should have his own team within the Clippers’ team so he could also get to do what he wants to. “You cannot bring James Harden into your team and not allow him to be him. But if he’s taking 6 shots, 7 shots, that’s hurting him and the team.”

Read More: Ty Lue Delves on His Confidence on James Harden

The podcast host Cam’ron Gilles completely agreed with Crawford and said Harden should come off the bench and Russell Westbrook should start the game. Harden’s voyage toward the Clippers began with a controversial exit from the 76ers. However, his fit in LA has proven to be far from flawless. Tyronn Lue, the coach of the Clippers, has publicly recognized the Beard’s issue with the organization’s small-ball approach, highlighting his absence from the preseason with the group as a big obstacle.

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Are the Clippers struggling because of Harden?

The Clippers are on a 3-6 record since signing Harden, despite having superstars like Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and Russell Westbrook. In terms of statistics, the squad rates among the top in turnovers per game (16.3) while leading in steals (10), highlighting contradictions in the way they play. On-court chemistry, which was previously an asset, has also deteriorated, due to which the squad is failing to meet expectations.

USA Today via Reuters

Despite Harden’s audacious claim that he belongs to “the system”, the truth on the floor is somewhat different. Individually, he has struggled, averaging 13.5 points and 4.5 assists per game, both career lows. The Clippers’ star shooter and coordinator is failing to identify his position in the squad, generating doubts about the team’s choice to rely on Harden’s personal skill set. The Clippers’ pursuit of a balanced combination of individual excellence and collective achievement persists as they navigate around their early-season challenges with James Harden.

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