Clippers' depth chart on James Harden's debut vs Knicks
James Harden is finally an LA Clipper. He will make his debut for the club on Monday night in the world’s most famous arena against the New York Knicks at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Harden will seemingly be one of the starting guards. Technically, he will likely line up as the two.
He will fit into a team full of former All-Stars and elder veterans. Let’s take a look at the team’s depth chart with Harden in the lineup. The players are listed in order from starters to backups.
Point guard: Russell Westbrook, Bones Hyland
Shooting guard: James Harden, Norman Powell
Small forward: Paul George, Terance Mann, Amir Coffey
Power forward: Kawhi Leonard, PJ Tucker, Kobe Brown
Center: Ivica Zubac, Mason Plumlee, Moussa Diabate
James Harden’s fit in LA
James Harden will once again play alongside Russell Westbrook. The duo are a long way away from their time together in Houston and even further from their days in OKC alongside Kevin Durant.
It should be an odd pairing. The two players both love to play with the ball in their hands. Westbrook will have to take an even further step back in touches with the addition of Harden.
Harden will also have to adjust and may end up with higher assist numbers than scoring numbers. He may think he is competing with Paul George as the team’s second scoring option. However, George is off to a hot start, leading the Clips with 28.8 points per game.
Harden could provide one key skill if he is motivated, and that is availability. The Clippers' dynamic duo of George and Leonard are constant injury risks and often miss time due to load management.
Harden may offer a solid option to buoy the team when either player misses time. He could step back into his old role and show out with high-scoring performances.
He proved he is still capable of that when he dropped 45 points against the Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern semifinals last season. The Sixers were without their MVP, Joel Embiid, and Harden carried the squad to a shocking win. The Clippers will be hoping for that version of Harden.
It will take some adjusting and time. There is only one ball to share between the four All-Stars plus Norman Powell, who is a solid sixth-man scorer. Harden will have to make sacrifices to make it work.