Ty Lue says James Harden ‘being too polite’ as Clips lose again،
LOS ANGELES — The LA Clippers haven’t won a game since acquiring James Harden — and coach Ty Lue is clear about what he wants from his new star.
“He’s too polite,” Lue said.
In Harden’s first home game with his new team in front of his hometown crowd, the Clippers lost their fifth straight game with a 105-101 defeat to the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday at Crypto.com Arena.
With Harden in the lineup, the Clippers are 0-4 and still trying to figure things out with their new Big Four of Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook.
George led the Clippers with 26 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists. But Leonard scored just 14 points and was held scoreless in the fourth quarter, while Harden missed 6 of 7 3-pointers and scored 11 points. Westbrook had 12 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists.
Lue said he told Harden and the team Saturday in practice that Harden had “carte blanche” to play his style against Memphis.
“I think he’s doing too much to try to fit in,” Lue said. “So it’s my fault. Just yesterday we had a discussion within the team and it just has to be James Harden. He led the league in assists over the last two or three years, and he made plays and what he does in the pick-and-roll, he’s great, so we have to allow him to be himself.
“I think the whole group heard that and understood that — listen, we’re going to play through James, he’s going to play pick-and-rolls, he’s going to make plays. They understood that. And so just leave the group “I hear this in front of James. So now he feels more comfortable, but he doesn’t want to step on anyone’s toes, and I understand that just to have respect for PG, Kawhi, Russ, because they’re there. But we need James to be James, and so it’s up to me to make sure I make sure he’s James.
Having had no training camp or preseason with the Clippers, Harden has yet to find a rhythm. In four games, Harden is averaging 13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
The Clippers (3-6) fell behind by 15 in the third quarter but came back and took a 95-93 lead with 3:09 to play. They returned largely with George, Westbrook, Norman Powell (20 points), Terance Mann and Leonard. Harden, who was minus-28 for the game, came back with the Clippers trailing by 3 with 1:55 left and drilled a corner 3 to tie the game.
But Leonard, who didn’t score in the fourth, missed a contested drive. Harden missed a corner 3 with 36.9 seconds left that could have tied the game again, then Leonard missed an 11-foot fadeaway with 33.1 seconds left as Memphis (2-8) made it to seal the match from the line.
“You just have to understand each other,” Leonard said. “There’s no magic in it. I’m just trying to play, to understand each other.”
Harden said he understands what Lue expects of him.
“It’s about being more aggressive,” Harden said. “Not just shooting, but just attacking, getting in the paint and making the right basketball plays.”
It doesn’t get any easier for Harden and the Clippers, who travel to Denver to face the defending champions and Nikola Jokic on Tuesday night.
“We’ve all been supportive and we absolutely want James to be himself,” George said. “I think when you make a trade like that, it’s up to James to come in and provide the same service that he’s given his whole career. We know how good he is, we know how good he’s efficient, and he brings a different dynamic with his ability to catch and shoot, play rebound, pick-and-roll, create plays.
“We want James to be himself. James is used to having the ball, orchestrating the offense and breaking down every possession. I’m sure it’s difficult when it’s not about every possession, and so he’s working on that. We’re all working on something, and we’re just trying to figure out how to be ourselves when these opportunities present themselves.”
