The Los Angeles Clippers were hoping to inaugurate their new arena with a win. But they fell to the Phoenix Suns today. While the Suns fielded their healthy big three of Kevin Durant, Bradley Beal, and Devin Booker, the Clippers weren’t so fortunate. With the departure of Paul George, the onus now lies on James Harden and Kawhi Leonard. Or just James Harden.

Leonard continues to manage the knee problem that kept him out toward the end of last season and through most of the playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks. Head coach Tyronn Lue, along with fans of the LA-based franchise, have placed all their faith in Harden. “We need him to be special until Kawhi [Leonard] gets back.” That’s right. If the Clippers want to win games, then Harden has to step it up, and he needs to do something extraordinary on a regular basis. And he was on song against Phoenix. He did tie the game in overtime but missed a free throw, which eventually led to the Suns’ victory.

The Clippers are missing Klaw, their main man, their ‘I’m HIM’ guy. His absence is being felt on both sides of the court. He’s the same player who knocked down 41.7% of his threes while posting averages of 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists last season. The updates coming out on his injury are the same. Just being repeated every time. “Progressing” has become common parlance when providing updates on his injury.

“We got to just figure out how to play fast, play free, getting in the space,” Ty Lue explained. This statement shows that the Clippers might have moved on. They’re finding a way to find their new style of play, a style of play without Klaw. Hopefully, the Clippers might just have the right man for this job. Enter The Beard.

James Harden says the Clippers ‘Don’t have room for error’

Harden finds himself in a situation similar to when he was the superstar and central figure of the Houston Rockets. The Beard’s three-year stretch with the Houston Rockets was nothing short of incredible. Over that period, he put up averages of 33.7 points, 7.9 assists, 6.2 rebounds, and 1.9 steals per game. Harden claimed the scoring title during this dominant run and secured the NBA MVP award for the 2017-2018 season. And this wasn’t even his best season for the Rockets.

During the course of the next season, Harden averaged 36.1 PPG, the most by a player since Michael Jordan’s 37.1 PPG during the 86-87 season. Harden is only third to arguably the greatest players to ever play the game, Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan.

“I’ve been in situations like this where we have not as much as other teams, but then that’s when my leadership role has to really, really kick in.” said Harden in a conversation with ESPN’s Shams Charania.

The Clippers face a tough road to the playoffs in a highly competitive Western Conference, where 11 teams finished at .500 or above, and 10 secured 46 or more wins last season. With only a handful of teams currently in rebuilding mode, most in the West have their sights set on the NBA Finals. This heightens the challenge for the Clippers and Harden, but he appears ready to rise to the occasion.

Can Harden channel his Rockets version once again? Only time will tell.