In the first days of moving to the Los Angeles Clippers, the James Harden deal left doubts among experts and fans. Things got worse when the Clippers lost 6 consecutive games since bringing in James Harden.

However, this team’s performance improves day by day. James Harden gradually got into rhythm with his new teammates and the Clippers won 14 out of the last 17 matches, with a series of 9 consecutive victories at the present time. From 13th place in the West, they climbed to 6th place.

As for James Harden, he is also showing an extremely impressive performance. He is no longer as excellent as he was in 2017 and 2018, but understands what he needs to contribute to the Clippers and improves himself to become the most suitable version.

For many years now, James Harden has always been known as a player who can only shine when he has the ball in his hands. At the Philadelphia 76ers, he did not play very impressively because the amount of ball control was reduced. And during his time at the Clippers, this player only had 19.3% of ball control, the lowest level in James Harden’s entire career.

However, that decline has been helping James Harden improve a skill that seems impossible to apply to himself, which is running without the ball, hunting for space and making 3-point shots.

According to statistics, James Harden currently has an average of 2.4 situations receiving the ball and then throwing 3 points per game for the Clippers. This number is very small compared to shooters who play purely without the ball like Klay Thompson or Michael Porter Jr, but is the best statistic since the 2015/16 season. Not only that, James Harden also converted 43.1% of those throws into points.

This was once a style of play that James Harden felt was inappropriate. But he himself accepted the change to be able to get along with other ball-consuming players, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

However, that does not mean that James Harden has completely become a pure player off the ball. Shining with the ball in his hands has become James Harden’s instinct since he joined the NBA and now, it is no exception.

In fact, James Harden is still in the NBA’s leading group in terms of average points scored from independent combat situations. Only Luka Doncic, Zion Williamson, Jayson Tatum have more than James Harden in this category. At the Clippers, he is also the player who plays pick-n-roll with the center the most. The difference here is that James Harden has worked hard to run to find space compared to when he played for the Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets or Philadelphia 76ers.

The table below is a comparison of James Harden’s scoring plan in the last 2 seasons. He fights more independently in the 2022/23 season, but becomes a shooter who receives the ball and throws more often in the 2023/24 season. The frequency of performing compensatory flips is higher, because he often takes on the role of creating play for the whole team.

With James Harden holding the ball to make more compensatory situations, it means that Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will no longer be as dependent on independent ball operations as before. James Harden’s passing ability and vision also greatly support the two players mentioned above, as well as Ivica Zubac in the extremely basic offset situation in the video below.

Not only that, James Harden actively holding the ball to create space also helps Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have more space at the 3-point line. A gentle coordination situation with the Harden – Zubac – Leonard triangle ended the Clippers’ perfect play.

An interesting statistic shows that Kawhi Leonard also has a 49.3% conversion rate in situations where he receives a static ball and throws it at the 3-point line.

Another statistic shows that James Harden has an average of 1.49 points after each independent combat situation. This number is extremely large, reflecting James Harden’s effectiveness even when running without the ball or tasked with handling the ball in his hands.

If James Harden can maintain his form in the near future, the Clippers will become an extremely scary candidate for the Playoff stage. The health of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George is still a concern, but with James Harden, they have more attacking options after being criticized for lacking a creative player in the squad for many years.

James Harden deserves credit for his changes to suit the Los Angeles Clippers. To win the championship, they need individuals who know how to get along and sacrifice for the team, rather than players competing for power because of personal ego.