The Los Angeles Clippers, who traded for James Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers, are currently facing challenges since welcoming the former MVP to their roster. Analysts had earlier predicted a difficult start to the season for the Clippers.
However, the addition of Harden is making it even more cumbersome, with no wins since he joined the franchise. It now appears that things are not changing anytime soon, especially with the prediction made by Patrick Beverley, which seems to contradict the earlier comment made by Kyrie Irving.
Beverley predicts Clippers struggle in regular season
Patrick Beverley of Philadelphia 76ers guard shared his thoughts on the Los Angeles Clippers’ performance in the regular season during a FanDuel’s show “Run It Back.” The 35-year-old expressed that the team, which recently acquired James Harden, might struggle now but will become a formidable force in the postseason. Beverley commented, “They going to be an awful regular season, but will be a dangerous playoff team because the playoff is all about matchups,”
Since the trade for James Harden, the Clippers have yet to secure a victory, standing at 0-4. Patrick Beverley attributes this to the challenge of integrating a new player like Harden who didn’t go through the team’s training camp.
Beverly added, “It’s hard when you have guys who haven’t been in training camp with you and don’t know the plays. And James [Harden] trying to not step on nobody’s toes,” Beverley said. “So there’s going to be an odd-man out and they have to pick who that’s going to be.”
Beverley emphasized the need for building chemistry and for star players to embrace roles they might not initially be comfortable with. He illustrated this by suggesting that, in one game, a superstar might focus on the defensive side of the ball.
Despite their current 3-6 record, placing them 11th in the Western Conference, Beverley believes the team’s primary goal is making it to the playoffs. The Clippers are gearing up for their next game against the Denver Nuggets as part of the NBA In-season tournament.
Irving believes in Clippers’ ability to find solutions
On Friday night, the Dallas Mavericks faced the LA Clippers and suffered their fourth straight loss, making it the third consecutive defeat since the addition of James Harden to the team. However, Kyrie Irving remains optimistic that the Clippers will shake off this moment despite a struggling start to the season. Having previously played with James Harden on the Brooklyn Nets alongside another superstar, Kevin Durant, Irving was asked about the challenges of integrating a new star into the Clippers’ lineup.
Irving said, “Right now they’re going through those ups and downs in the public forum where they are getting criticized for not winning games even tho they’re as great as anyone in the league. They’ll be a great team,” stating that it’s too early to count them out, and he believes they will regroup and perform better as the season progresses.
Kyrie Irving recognized that going through the integration process can be tough and demanding. Although he didn’t detect frustration from the Clippers, he observed instances of confusion. Despite this, Irving is confident that the Clippers will navigate these challenges successfully. He extended encouragement for their upcoming games against the Mavericks, emphasizing his belief that they will improve and face the matchups with renewed strength.
