Some numbers so far this year WS : 16th WS/48 : 10th BPM : 13th VORP : 17th TS : 66.0% (9th) Iso PPP : 1.36(2nd among players with atleast 1 isolation possession per game) 3FG : 43% (18th) AST/TO : 3.08 Bum.
I have to admit, it looks good now. Cudos to Ty Lue for convincing The System to adapt into Clipper' system and even to catch and shoot! The one three off an assist from PG, when Harden was wandering all alone on the perimeter - unthinkable in Houston when he was always guarded. For that alone he deserves COTY. Ok, this could actually work. But still, the revelation is, Harden needs at least one Alpha ahead of him in the charge (Kawhi). Now he even has two and can focus on facilitating. It is actually not unlike the Philly situation with Embiid. ANd as usual... the jury is still out until the Play Offs.
Of course he is. Talentwise, there is no question. The question was always about the thing between his ears, whether he is willing to adapt his game. The biggest sign he has adapt: his free throws. Even on his explosion against the Pacers, notice how many free throws he took? 3! THREE FREE THROWS on a 35-Point outing from James "Flop" Harden. I took a glance on his stats of the last games, the most he took was 8. There were even games with zero FTs with him still being productive. What a change from his Houston days. Like I said, kudos to him, but especially to Ty Lue who proves himself to be really a great coach. But, as I said before - can he do it on a tight clutch night during the Play Offs....
Yeah, the things PG13 held over him were length, shooting and Perimeter Defense. Shooting is arguable as Harden could get hot and volume shoot.
His lower FT attempts in my opinion is directly related to his inability to drive to the basket like he did in his prime. Don’t think it’s much about coaching. His physical limitations have made him adjust how he can remain effective. More jump shots and less drives equals less free throws. Drives per game 24 : 10.6 23 : 13.5 22 : 16.0 21 : 17.4 20 : 17.6 19 : 19.6
Another championship would also validate Ty Lue as a top-tier head coach. We can say he's one of the three that have won with LeBron because he hasn't had much playoff success without him. Steve Balmer would also become a successful owner, and the Clippers would go into their new stadium as champions. Alas, it ain't happening. Something will go wrong. Clips gonna clip.
Kind of a chicken and egg scenario Did he stop getting freethrows cause he stopped driving or Did he stop driving because he wasn't getting the free throws if you drive as much as you use too . . .don't get the free throws . . .well all those missed shots just look like bad basketball IMO alot of times the difference between a superstar and a star and a bench guy is how they are reffed Rocket River
it's much less about limitation than the fact he his playing as a true PG and deferring to other great offensive players such as KD, Kyrie, Embiid, kawhi, and PG, and trying to get the role players involved. you simply using drives per game as evidence completely lacks context of his situations since leaving Houston.
That is obvious. The point is, he manages to still be effective. I saw him coming from behind a screen to catch and shoot, almost like Curry, instead of pounding the ball to milk the shotclock out for a stepback. In other words, he works from within a system now.
Clippers ceiling lies solely on the body of Kawhi. If he's healthy in the playoffs, they will be in the title conversation. Harden and PG at this point can keep the team afloat in the regular season against weaker teams.
