Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce recently talked in detail about the Los Angeles Clippers’ struggles since trading for James Harden. During a segment of the TICKET & THE TRUTH podcast, both Pierce and KG appeared concerned with the way the Clippers have started the season. Since James Harden joined the squad, the LA side had lost six straight games before winning against the Houston Rockets at home recently.
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The team has struggled to get going for quite a while, with Russell Westbrook eventually communicating his willingness to come off the bench to make things work. While Harden maintained right from the start that he needs time to get back to his best, fans have been concerned with the effect his presence seems to have on the team’s other superstars.
This includes two-time NBA Champion Kawhi Leonard, who Kevin Garnett claimed has not looked like his former self in recent weeks. “Kawhi don’t look like he all the way Kawhi, you know what I am saying?” Garnett said, during the podcast.
Pierce, however, claimed that Kawhi Leonard had been at his best in the game against the Lakers on November 2, which saw him produce 38 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, on a losing effort. But Pierce seemed to agree that Leonard has largely looked out of sorts ever since James Harden joined the team. Regardless, KG appears to be waiting for Leonard to take charge and dictate how his team will play basketball.
“I get it, they look a little slow lord, like when I am watching them, they look slow, and on top, I am just waiting on the alpha of the alphas to step up, step up and say, ‘Okay, this is what we doing,’” he said, before claiming that it was still too early to judge the Clippers’ season.
“I mean it’s five games, I am not putting everything into equity in five games, I am not doing that. And then it’s not fair, for us to think that just coz they got a player of Harden’s caliber, they gonna go from A to B,” KG added.
Hence, while both KG and Pierce are concerned with the way the season has started for the Clippers, they expect things to work out eventually. Garnett in particular is unwilling to make his conclusions on the team after just five games and suggested that the group will get going sometime in the future despite the current optics.
Kawhi Leonard has not been at his best since the James Harden trade
Both Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett were united in their conclusion that Kawhi had not been at his best since the Clippers traded for James Harden. Leonard started the season brightly, helping his team off to a 3-1 start.
Their 5th regular season game against the Lakers saw Leonard produce his best performance this season despite the loss. Since then, however, there seems to be a genuine drop-off in his shooting efficiency. The Klaw is currently averaging 16.5 points in 32.5 minutes, which is pretty underwhelming for a player of his caliber.
While he continues to be the Clippers’ best player so far, Leonard has not been as involved as fans would have liked. He was crucial in the win against the Houston Rockets, which came as a result of Russell Westbrook starting off the bench for Tyronn Lue’s side. According to Yahoo, Westbrook has accepted the sacrifice for the good of the team, which immediately produced their first win since Harden joined.
