By the looks of it, Paul George may have burned all bridges with the Clippers, especially after his old man’s stabbing on the back comments. The nine-time All-Star and the front office’s failed monetary negotiations prompted the veteran forward to take his talents to Philly.
PG-13’s decision had Clippers Nation pulling their hair, given the 213 era’s failure, which promised championship expectations. What was worse is that the Clips management couldn’t procure anything in return for George. Nonetheless, ushering in the Intuit Dome era, there is a lot of hope around James Harden stepping up amid this moment of crisis.
According to an ESPN Insider, The Beard will need to switch back his scoring gears after playing the role of facilitator for the most time last season. Harden will need to pull a page out of his Houston Rockets book, where he averaged 29.6 PPG over his nine seasons, winning three scoring titles and a league MVP.
WHY DOES JAMES HARDEN NEED TO DON HIS SCORER HAT?
President Frank Lawrence and Co. were quick to address George’s exit, adding a few valuable pieces to the roster in the form of Derrick Jones Jr., and Nicolas Batum, to name a few. However, there remains a gap, courtesy of PG-13’s one-of-a-kind talent. Nevertheless, there is a probability that the Clippers will still be in the hunt for the West via Harden. The ten-time All-Star is one of the greatest scorers of the last generation but has caught a bit of rust over the recent years. Yet, if he’s able to channel back even 80-85% of his Rockets edition, Ty Lue and crew could make a run.
For the above to happen, “He will need to average like 22 PPG and 41% shooting from the 3-point line,” said Ohm Youngmisuk. The ESPN reporter also added that Harden’s primary role on the team was not to be a facilitator.
Harden Needs To Be The Robin To Kawhi Leonard’s Batman
Though Harden will be required to contribute a lot more, he need not worry much with The Klaw being on his side. All dynamic duo needs are blessings from the basketball gods when it comes to their health throughout the year.
If Kawhi manages to be 100%, especially during the business end of the season, and Harden remains consistent with 22 PPG and above 40% shooting from beyond the arc, the Clips could prove all their naysayers wrong.
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