“Don’t See it Happening For this Group”: 3x NBA Champion Believes James Harden Won’t Win a Ring This Year Despite Being a Top 50 Player

In an interview with Fan Duel, the 3-time NBA champion Danny Green talked about the LA Clippers’ chances of winning a championship this season. Lou Williams and Danny Green were initially asked if they thought James Harden would finish his career with over, or under ‘0.5’ rings. Williams claimed he would win it this year, while Green was not so certain.

A 3-time Champion with three different teams, Green claimed that he simply did not see the Clippers landing a championship in the current season. The 36-year-old talked about how he believes James Harden will stay with the franchise and try to land his first championship.

“I will go under, I don’t see it happening for this group. Maybe he can end up after this year but I feel like he is going to try to stick it out, make it work, with this group,” he said, before claiming that the Clippers were in need of reinforcements in order to make things work.

“I don’t know. I think he is going to stick in LA and figure out a rhythm but PJ Tucker said there is not enough basketball for this group. They need to find some role players, maybe they make some good additions or moves before deadline or in the offseason, but there is a short window in Clipperland,” he said, before claiming that he was unsure if Kawhi Leonard and Paul George could maintain their fitness for the entire season.

While that is a reasonable fear to have, Green went on to make a slightly more dubious claim about Harden himself. Asked whether winning the ring would make him a top-50 player, Green said that Harden did not need it.

“[James Harden] is arguably a top 50 player right now without the ring.”@DGreen_14 doesn’t think the LA Clippers and James Harden are getting a ring, but he’s a top 50 player anyway ‍♂️

: https://t.co/qYBPWhYgh7 pic.twitter.com/3iC03GPe1z

— Run It Back (@RunItBackFDTV) December 6, 2023

“He is arguably a top-50 player right now, without the ring. But I think if he gets the ring as one of the bus drivers, I think for sure he will be one of the top-50 players of all time,” he said, much to the interviewer’s surprise.

Hence, while Harden has had his fair share of detractors and Green does not believe he and the Clippers will land a championship, there is obvious respect for the former Rockets’ superstar. Green still believes that James Harden deserves his place among the top 50 NBA players, of all time.

Kobe Bryant predicted that James Harden might never win a championship

Speaking of James Harden, back in 2019, the late Kobe Bryant had an extremely interesting analysis. Bryant had obvious respect for Harden’s achievements at the Rockets but claimed he could never win a championship with his playing style.

“I’m not a fan of it, in terms of winning championships. I don’t think that style is ever going to win championships. But at the same time you have to keep your team’s head above water to win games, so you have to do what you have to do to win games and he’s doing that,” Kobe said.

He went on to explain how Harden’s habit of dominating the ball meant that it was extremely difficult for his team to win a title. However, that did not discount what the 3-time scoring champion did for his team.

Kobe Bryant believes James Harden and the Rockets won’t win a championship with the style of play we’re seeing on his scoring tear. (via @Rachel__Nichols) pic.twitter.com/RQvdHPvpJw

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 4, 2019

“It’s a testament to how remarkable it is because people are now trying to minimize what it is that he’s doing. He’s doing some phenomenal stuff,” Kobe said, effectively predicting how his achievements will in time be swept under the rug.

Hence, several high-profile moves later, Kobe’s words still appear to ring true. Harden has been consistently criticized and his ball-dominant style has until now failed to work alongside the group of superstars at the Clippers.