P.J. Tucker offers depressing realization for LA Clippers' struggles with James Harden
P.J. Tucker drops a bombshell comment about the LA Clippers' struggles with James Harden.
When the LA Clippers made the move for James Harden, while there was some apprehension, the overwhelming opinion was that the team improved. At the very least, their roster got better and that can't be argued much. The real question was whether or not that would correlate to more wins and greater success in the postseason. After the move for Harden, that was the much fairer question to ask.
Through the first few weeks with Harden on the roster, the struggles have been quite evident. Since the Harden acquisition, the Clippers are just 6-8. Perhaps the biggest issue is that they've struggled mightily to find a rhythm on the offensive end of the floor. With Harden, the Clippers have the 23rd-ranked offense in the league.
As the Clippers continue to try to find their footing as a team, currently sitting at 9-10 and ranked outside the top 8 in the Western Conference standings, P.J. Tucker offered an unpleasant realization that may end up being true for the Clippers.
"“There’s not enough basketballs on the planet for this team, really.”"
- P.J. Tucker on the Clippers
Considering this comment is coming from a player on the roster is not ideal. But it goes to show just how much the team is struggling and how much it realizes it. Tucker is not a player that's going to sugarcoat struggles. He's going to say how things are. And this comment reflects that.
What's next for the LA Clippers?
If there is any truth to this comment, and there might be, you can't help but wonder what that could mean for the Clippers moving forward.
Harden has given voice to the fact that the team needs time to gel. And there is some truth to that but at what point does the team come to the conclusion that this simply might not work? It's been nearly 15 games with Harden and there have been little-to-no breakthrough performances that you can say, "You know what, this is a team that can compete for a title." And that's scary to think about.
The way things look, Tucker may end up being completely right. And unless the NBA is going to change its rulebook in-season and add a second ball to live action, the Clippers may have a huge problem on their hands with no clear resolutions.
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There's going to be some natural pushback on this comment from Tucker but the early returns are not great for the Clippers in the Harden