Kawhi Leonard displayed remarkable confidence in his new teammate after the Clippers finally managed to break their 6 game-losing streak. As many NBA fans should be aware, James Harden was traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Los Angeles Clippers soon after the start of the 2023-2024 NBA season.
Although this move gave the Clippers a Big 4, the team remained winless ever since acquiring Harden. They finally managed to break their losing streak by defeating the Houston Rockets with a final score of 106-100.
After having finally tasted victory with James Harden as his teammate, Kawhi discussed his thoughts heading into the final segment of the game against the Rockets. That said, let us take a closer look at the situation and find out more.
Kawhi Leonard continues to show trust in James Harden
While Harden might not be the best version of himself at this point in his NBA career, veteran stars in the league such as Kawhi will remember what the Beard was capable of doing in his prime.
In order to defeat his former team, James Harden scored 24 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists. He was clearly more aggressive on the court and managed to help his team break their losing streak. Towards the final stretch of the game, Leonard drove and passed the ball to Harden for one of the final shots. Kawhi later discussed how this was done automatically.
“Exactly what you said man, there’s no magic to it. I had the ball, I saw his guy kinda lacking a little bit, and um you know I trusted him. He’s one of the top 75 best players this league has ever seen. I gave him the ball and he made the shot.”
We are glad to see that Kawhi showed trust in Harden despite the lack of success that the team had seen ever since he joined the team. However, larger questions regarding the Clippers continue to linger on fans’ minds.
Can the Los Angeles Clippers contend for a title this season?
By deciding to acquire James Harden, the Los Angeles Clippers clearly believed that they could find a way to integrate him into their system with Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard. While all of them are certainly experienced and talented players, concerns regarding the Clippers’ ability to win it all linger among their fan base.
After all, both Harden and Westbrook need the ball in their hands in order to be effective. With the exception of Kawhi Leonard, the rest of the main stars of the Clippers are yet to win a title and are approaching the back end of their career. Although the team undoubtedly has the talent to win the NBA championship, they are not expected by many NBA experts to do so at the moment.