Often, when players jump teams and it doesn’t sit right with the NBA community, and consequently, poor performances can be exaggerated. Bradley Beal, for one, wasn’t terrible at the Phoenix Suns, but he was often portrayed as a weak addition to the roster. Recently, he spoke about the concept of narratives, while also bringing in another star who has suffered from this in recent years, James Harden.
Advertisement
Beal joined the Los Angeles Clippers ahead of the 25–26 season, and will now team up with Harden, who has been in LA since 2023. But his reputation has taken a hit since he packed his bags and moved away from the Philadelphia 76ers after just a few months in the City of Brotherly Love.
Beal, on Media Day in Inglewood, recalled talking to Harden about how he got to the Clippers, and realized just how unfair the media and the NBA community as a whole have been on him. The former Washington Wizards star also hinted at finding similarities between that and how he was treated in Phoenix.
“Talking to JH and his journey of how he got here, I was like, okay, it’s funny how you said I still shot 50%, right. And everybody, you say what you want to say, they kind of did that to JH. And he helped Embiid get an MVP in Philly,” Beal told Lou Williams.
It was a fair assessment of Harden’s time in Philly. He wasn’t at his ‘Houston Rockets-best’, but by no means was he bad. He played second-fiddle to Joel Embiid mainly, and that’s because the team was centered around him. Still, he averaged 20 points a game and led the league in assists per game in 2022-23, the season Embiid won MVP.
The media, however, expected more from Harden, and when he didn’t fulfil them, questions of ethics and commitment came to light. He was lambasted further when he moved to the Clippers, where he partnered up with Kawhi Leonard.
It took some time for his image to be restored, and in 24-25, it sort of happened. Once again, he looked sharp and played a key role in the Clippers’ run to the playoffs. His performances even got him a spot on the All-NBA Third team, his first All-NBA selection since 2020, when he was with the Nets.
Now that Harden looks well settled, he will be aiming to take the next step and reach the NBA Finals to win his first championship ring. The Clippers have assembled a strong team to achieve just that, and Beal, who averaged 20 points as the third option behind Kevin Durant and Devin Booker with the Suns, has been brought in to contribute toward that goal.
It is an exciting time to be a Clippers fan.
