The Los Angeles Clippers trading James Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers has been one of the most sensationalized trades of this year. This trade has attracted the attention of several NBA stars, including Harden’s former Sixers teammate Patrick Beverly. On his ‘Pat Bev’ podcast, he highlighted the essential changes the Clippers would undergo now that they have a ‘Big 4’ on their roster.
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As per Beverly, comprising of Harden, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and Russell Westbrook, from the Big 4, one of them must pick themselves as the ‘odd man out.’
The likes of PG13, Kawhi, Harden, and Westbrook define the star status they have been accorded over the years. All of the Big 4 would want to win and would evidently want to lead the show for the team. Explaining this situation, Pat Bev said,
“There’s gonna be an odd man out…Obviously, everyone is in a point of their career where they want to win. So what comes with winning comes with sacrifices. Kawhi want super max, Paul George want super max, James want super max. They’re High IQ basketball players, but they’re also rhythm basketball players. They need to crossover and bop, bop, bop, and step back to get in the rhythm. They need to get to the post and jab, jab, jab. There’s going to be an odd man out and one of them have to be okay with it. And it might be a different person every night.”
In this new Clippers overhaul, Pat Bev seemed quite happy for the opportunity his Croatian friend Ivica Zubac would receive from the new Big 4. Zubac has been part of the Los Angeles Clippers as a Center since 2019 and has been an essential rotation player off the bench.
Perhaps, when the Big 4 might face pressure from opponents when double-teamed, Zubac could play a crucial role during post-up plays and showcase his dunking abilities for the team, whenever required. All-in-all, Beverley seems happy for Zubac, who now has an incredible opportunity to up the ante in his game by learning from the veteran Big 4 of the team.
Cousins remarks James Harden’s addition, a ‘Do or Die’ for the Clippers
The James Harden addition has undoubtedly been one of the highlights for the Clippers this season. However, given the pre-established chemistry built around their roster, the Los Angeles side is now posed with problems. DeMarcus Cousins recently spoke to ESPN host Rachel Nichols and expressed how this would be a ‘do or die’ situation for the Clippers at this point.
Cousins noted that the Clippers team had already based a team around Kawhi Leonard and Paul George shooting most of the buckets. However, the addition of Russell Westbrook last year and Harden this year could turn either way for the team.
Given that the Clippers are faced with a ticking clock on Kawhi and Paul George’s expiring contracts, this new recipe could either be a success or a complete disaster. In hindsight, it’s mostly a do-or-die situation for the Clippers.
The Clippers have started with an abysmal 0-2 start with James Harden on the roster. However, as both Pat Bev and DeMarcus Cousins predicted, the chemistry needs to match between the Big 4.
After a somewhat slow start with his new team, James Harden reiterated he was here at the Clippers to win. He assured the fans that he would figure it out and win games without worrying about the stats or points that would determine the same.
Similarly, Paul George assured the fans that there was nothing to worry about from such a slow start early in the season. George understands that the team’s stars need to come to a consensus soon that would further help them win games in the long run.
