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Shams Charania, ESPN
LOS ANGELES — The start of James Harden‘s LA Clippers career last season was a whirlwind. After missing training camp and preseason while awaiting a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers, he made his debut for his hometown team in November and immediately lost five games in a row. Once Clippers coach Ty Lue moved Harden to the primary point guard role alongside Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the Clippers season turned around and the franchise saw glimpses of greatness from their new Big 3.
Fast-forward to now and Harden is in a position reminiscent to his days as the superstar and cornerstone of the Houston Rockets. George is gone to Philadelphia; Leonard is out indefinitely due to right knee inflammation; so all eyes will be on Harden and his ability to lead these Clippers in his 16th NBA season.
Harden held a team minicamp in Phoenix during the week of Sept. 9, hosting two-a-day workouts with the entire team at Arizona State University, capped off by a softball game for teammates and staff members. Harden paid for every player’s expenses for the trip, from his co-star Leonard to the players on Exhibit 10 contracts.
In many ways, this is Houston James Harden — but refined and sharpened by the lessons of a Hall of Fame career. Harden, a former NBA MVP, 10-time All-Star and member of the NBA’s 75th anniversary team, is primed to serve as the lead maestro once again for a Clippers roster with an elite head coach and scrappy, accomplished role players ready to follow his lead.
Harden knows everyone within the Clippers will look for him to lead now inside the new Intuit Dome on Wednesday night when the Clippers start the season against the Phoenix Suns (10 p.m. ET on ESPN) — and it will go beyond just the court.
Editor’s note: This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Shams Charania: So we’re on this court right now. Opening up Intuit Dome, as an L.A. kid, what does that mean for you? What are the emotions you go through?
James Harden: It means everything, man. Just growing up, being from LA and you had the Staples Center, obviously you had the Forum. The Forum was initially the big arena where the Lakers played and Magic [Johnson] and all those greats here in Inglewood. And then it moved over to the Staples Center, you know what I mean? But just being here in the hood of L.A. … Steve Ballmer did it. He did it. He’s a genius.
Charania: So for you, when you look around this place, what gives you the inspiration this season?
Harden: I feel like we have to show out. I’m not going to individualize myself. I think us as an organization gotta show out and show that since we quote “lost” or we’re “not a championship contender” from outsiders, that we want to show out and bring some energy into this building and win a lot of games. And I think we got the pieces to do it. And then as Kawhi starts getting himself back into the mix, he is just going to add on and we are going to just keep getting better and growing. So I’m excited. I think the fans are excited. We got a new establishment, and we are ready to get it on.
Charania: With Kawhi specifically, I know you guys have spent a lot of time over the summer building your relationship, going to training camp. Where is that relationship?
Harden: Solid. And it’s only been a year. I think us just hanging out, being around each other, understanding who he is. Kawhi is, first of all, he loves to hoop. I mean, but sports injuries are a part of sports. But if it was up to him, he would play every single game and want to hoop and play 48 minutes. He loves it and he’s really good at it, but he doesn’t really give too much information to outsiders. People don’t really know a lot about Kawhi, and I feel the same about me. So I think we’re similar in that aspect. But one thing about us on this court, we love to hoop and love to be on the court, so you can’t take that from us.
Charania: Do you see yourself as “the man” here now as you’re starting the season without Kawhi? What’s your mentality?
Harden: I’ve been in situations like this where we have not as much as other teams, but then that’s when my leadership role has to really, really kick in. We don’t have room for error like a lot of other teams. We have to be detailed and precise on everything we do, and that starts with me. We started off in the summer, and we’ve had a really good preseason. So I think for us it’s just getting off to a really good start.
Charania: This isn’t the first time where you’ve been looked over as a team. So the experience, I assume that experience helps.
Harden: I’ve been in this situation before, so it’s easy for me. I’m comfortable in this role. And then you get an opportunity to build guys up. Guys that feel like they don’t have the most confidence or are still trying to figure that role, you kind of help guys build their gut. Somebody like Kai Jones who hasn’t really had a real opportunity in his league. So I think my experience is going to help him.
Charania: People know you for multiple signature moves. When you think about the step-back, you think about early in your career, you had the Euro, you would draw a foul, you would dunk on people. So what’s going through your mind [when you create those moves]?
Harden: Man? First of all, you have to fall in love with the game. So you have to find ways to always improve. So watching somebody like [Manu] Ginobili and [Dwyane Wade]. Obviously D-Wade was way more athletic, so his Euro would be a Eurostep and dunk. And then you got the step-back. I used to watch somebody like Paul Pierce who caught the ball at the elbow and just boom, hit this guy with a shoulder and get a shot off, create that separation. So I think for me, just watching the game, watching somebody like Kobe [Bryant] as well, his and [Michael] Jordan’s fadeaway. It’s like, OK, how can I find a move to where it can help me and take my game to another level?
Charania: Take me through one of your first times you were trying to do that and master that step-back.
Harden: The step-back was like, I was doing a little bit in OKC. I remember I had a big shot against Kawhi, I think it was Western Conference finals. But it is different variations of it, you know what I mean? So it just depends on how the defenders guard me. And as I started playing more and I was on the scouting report and teams would try to stop me and put two on the ball and guard me different ways, then you would find ways to get your shot off, whether it’s a step-back, whether it’s a sidestep and goes both ways.
It is different variations of it to where, however the defender guards me, I have to find a way to get my shot off because it’s not going to change. And as I continue to get better and score, score, score, teams are going to find other ways to try to stop me. And just being in the gym, loving the game, being here watching film, watching the greats before me and then taking that and incorporating it and then obviously trying to work on and things like that.
Charania: This season you’re 34 3-pointers away from surpassing and being No. 2 all time in 3-pointers made. It’s Steph Curry and…
Harden: You listen, I’m going to consider myself No. 1. Steph doesn’t count. Y’all see what that dude be doing? And we came in the same year. I can’t speak for Steph, but for me it’s like, when I got drafted and was trying to find my way in the league and all that, I didn’t expect it to be this level. And I’m sure he didn’t expect to be this level. I’m sure the scouts and all the guys that were looking at it like, OK, he can shoot, but come on, man. He’s the greatest shooter we’ve ever seen.
Charania: And now when you look at this team, I mean when you think about how there’s a lot of young guys on this team that you’re going to have to be the leader of, and you think about the Houston days when you came in, you were an absolute star, but how much do you think leadership has evolved for you?
Harden: I think the leadership role has always been there. I think it’s just being more like, I don’t want to say that word like a mentor, like an OG. Somewhere where you could ask me something off the court and on the court, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to have a response or an answer for you just because I’ve experienced a lot. So I think that role right there is valuable in the sense of the young guys that we have on this team. And so I think they’ve done a really good job of not being shy about it. And I think I’ve opened myself up to allow them to speak to me. I don’t want to be the guy who feels like they’re better than them or they can’t speak to me or they can’t get on me if I’m messing up. I want to be on the same level with them because that’s the only way your teammates are going to respect you. And so I think that’s what we have in this unit that we have today, and I think that’s why our entire organization is excited, because we are all on the same page.
Charania: I think people look at this year, this iteration of this team, they need James Harden to be James Harden. They need “The System” James Harden. But do you feel like that’s kind of new and improved in terms of we know what your game is but there’s all these other ancillary aspects of you that maybe we haven’t seen before?
Harden: I mean, first of all, I’m going to have a lot more opportunity, which is easy. I’m a natural scorer. I’m a natural playmaker. So the last four years it was sacrifice and whatever, but not even just scoring and playmaking, but leadership and finding other ways to win games is very important. That’s all that matters to this point. The numbers and things like that are going to happen, just because my usage rate is going to be high, I’ll be playing a lot. You got a high usage rate, the numbers are going to show, but it’s about actual details and being impactful obviously for the game and then for your teammates as well. So I feel like I get an opportunity at the highest level to show my teammates that I can be a leader in that aspect.
Charania: Obviously you talked just now usage and you having the ball in your hands more, obviously. Last year was a whirlwind. Multiple guys had the ball at different points. But now when you look at the team, it’s you this past summer; Paul George departs as a free agent and a lot of it was, what is James Harden going to do now? How do you feel now that Paul is gone, and did you feel that pressure the moment you knew he was going to be out?
Harden: It is never pressure. There’s never no pressure. Congratulations. PG got his money. That’s very, very important. We can’t overlook that. But then for me, my role doesn’t change. My usage rate is going to be higher so I get more opportunities. But me coming here was for aspirations to win a title. So for me it’s just making sure I’m playing well, making sure I can be a leader as much as I can, making sure we win as many games and give ourselves a chance and then figure out as the season goes on, find ways that we can get better. But for me, the road doesn’t change. More usage and more opportunity to be who I am.
Charania: So when Paul leaves, what’s the first thing that goes through your mind as far as how you’re going to approach this season? This season and this team? Obviously your relationship with Kawhi playing a big factor in that, but there was a lot that Paul said about how last season went and how this year, what went in his decision as well.
Harden: Yeah, I didn’t see that. But like I said, for me, I control what I can control, pay attention. I focus on me and me getting better in the best form or shape of James. So whatever that looks like, that’s what I got to control and that’s what I got to be. And then everything else will fall into place how it’s supposed to fall into place. So whether Paul was to be here or if Paul’s gone, I feel like I still have to come back and be better than I was last year, which I know I am. So that’s all I can control. And now Paul isn’t here. Kawhi is out. So for me, whoever’s ready to go, let’s get it on. Let’s hoop, let’s hoop.
Charania: Obviously Kawhi is going to, whenever he comes back, he comes back. But do you feel like this is your team? Do you feel like right now you feel good about leading this group?
Harden: Yeah, overly confident. Overly confident. And even with Kawhi here, Kawhi is a leader, but Kawhi is a different leader. You know what I mean? He’s not really vocal, but on the court he’ll show. There’s been a lot of leaders like that throughout the course of NBA history where they’re just dogs on the court. I mean they’re not going to talk too much, they’re just killers and I’m both. So I like to communicate, making sure I’ll help guys know where they are at and then I like to do what I do on the court. But for now, as he rehabs and gets back, I got more of an opportunity to lead and kind of help guys come along to where we can win games.