James Harden has been a primary orchestrator throughout his career. It’s hard for an orchestrator not to be a team player. Right from driving the ball to dishing out the right passes, players like Harden always think for their teams. But someone who had begun following the league a few years ago may deny that title to the star point guard, considering his fallout with three teams in a row. However, things seemed to have returned to normalcy, as the Beard picked up the All-Star tag once again. And also the team player tag.

Last night, the league announced the reserves for the 2025 All-Star games and Harden secured his 11th selection. Notably, it was three years after he got his 10th All-Star appearance. We can blame the turmoil he went through in the last few seasons as the reason behind the slump.

Returning to this season, the fans witnessed James Harden in an entirely new avatar. As we all know, the Clippers went through some drastic changes after the previous season, losing Paul George and Kawhi Leonard’s injury woes. Despite the short-handed nature of the roster, the team didn’t make any desperate moves. Instead, they trusted the veteran point guard.

With available role players like Ivica Zubac and Norman Powell, Harden managed to put the team on the map. Notably, Zubac and Norm’s career-high seasons are indeed a testament to his leadership. And undoubtedly a well-deserved All-Star selection. While the news made him “excited” initially, responding to the wishes, it didn’t last long. He immediately contacted Powell and something to tell him.

Speaking to Lauren Rosen, he said, “I told him like, you know, what you’ve been doing, I’m just happy to be part of it… and keep that same swagger because you’re a huge part of our success and what we’re doing and where we’re trying to go.”

A large part of it came out because of Powell’s All-Star snub. Averaging 24.0 ppg with 49.9% FG, the 31-year-old must deserve a shout-out. Moreover, 11x All-Star had more to tell about Zu.

James Harden gives his flowers to Ivica Zubac

As much as the contribution James Harden and Powell produced for the team, the big man had equally contributed, especially near the rim. In the 2024 off-season, the star had developed a new hook shot scoring from under the rim. Anthony Davis even widely appreciated it, after the Clippers dismantled the Lakers for the first time at Intuit Dome.

Speaking of Ivica’s performance this year, the 35-year-old added, “ Zu, you know what I mean? 20s and 20s and improvement. And even when he don’t. The stat sheet don’t have 20 and 20, he still impacts the game at a high level.” Furthermore, speaking about his core teammates, Harden collectively said, “So, I’m just proud of both of those guys and the year they’re having and as far as our team, they’re the reason for that.”

Now that Kawhi Leonard has returned with increased minutes under Tye Lue, the Clippers will get only lethal from now on. Will the Clippers end their curse and win the first franchise championship? Let us know in the comments.