The LA Clippers recently acquired James Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers. After the trade was made official, several experts gave their opinions on how the star-studded team would look on the court. Among all, Former NBA player Kendrick Perkins probably had the most interesting take and suggested that Harden be brought off the bench.
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A big fan of Russell Westbrook, Perkins believes that Paul George’s good form is due to the 2017 MVP’s play. As for Kawhi Leonard, with the player being the best on the roster and a Finals MVP, his being irreplaceable in the starting lineup is not far from obvious. With that rationale in mind, Kendrick Perkins suggested that James Harden come off the bench for the LA Clippers.
“I’d bring James Harden in off the bench… Paul George is averaging about 27 points and shooting 53% from the field. It’s because of Russell Westbrook. [There’s] something about that duo.”
— Kendrick Perkins 🗣️
(via @ESPNNBA)pic.twitter.com/UEJwkeR81p
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 1, 2023
Unfortunately for Perkins, Patrick Beverley didn’t quite see things his way. As a result, he replied to ‘Big Perk’s words through a post on X [Formerly Twitter] with the following caption.
“That’s cap. No you won’t. U would start him or you would be fired that summer.”
That’s cap 🧢 No you won’t. U would start him or you would be fired that summer. https://t.co/nR2GJdzpzS
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) November 1, 2023
Over the past offseason, despite just having been traded to the 76ers himself, Patrick Beverley was completely on James Harden’s side. The guard kept raving on about ‘the Beard’s greatness and urged him to stay in Philadelphia.
It doesn’t seem like things have changed much either, despite James Harden’s recent departure from the franchise.
Charles Barkley has concerns over James Harden to the LA Clippers
While Russell Westbrook has been looking more like himself during his time with the LA Clippers, things could be shaken up soon. Speaking on this scenario, Charles Barkley recently spoke about how both players needed the ball in their hands to be themselves, “so, it’s going to be fascinating to watch,” in his words.
Patrick Beverley also spoke about James Harden’s departure recently. Despite having talked him up all offseason long and still wishing him well, Beverley admitted that the 76ers are now a bit more unpredictable as contenders. He mentioned that now, there aren’t just a couple of players you can “key in on,” due to which the ball movement by the team has been incredible, too.
That said, it will be interesting to see how far Joel Embiid can take them in the postseason now and how much Tyrese Maxey benefits from getting more minutes in the Sixers rotation.
