Each time newcomer Bogdan Bogdanovic looks around the Clippers locker room, his gaze lands on the stall across the room. He watches as James Harden prepares for the game, meticulously focusing on the upcoming opponent and treating his 35-year-old body with as much care as he does with his graying beard.
There’s a lesson to be learned for the Australian point guard, who joined the Clippers a month ago in a trade with the Atlanta Hawks. His job is to back up the 11-time All-Star and three-time NBA scoring champion and Bogdanovic hopes to achieve a small measure of that success by studying Harden’s approach to games.
“Just coming in here and seeing him get ready, it gives a motivation for the rest of our locker room and especially the younger guys,” Bogdanovic said.
But it wasn’t just Bogdanovic who watched Harden do his thing on Wednesday, scoring 50 points on the second night of a back-to-back set against the Detroit Pistons to lead the Clippers to a 123-115 victory. The entire team witnessed his performance that was classic Harden after two sub-par games.
“Everybody contributed, but it starts with him, and I feel like people can’t estimate how hard it is to come on back-to-back nights and play and put the minutes and be ready to play,” Bogdanovic said. “People think it’s a game, but we lose the sleep, we are nervous, we are stressed when we lose and we have these emotional moments. But when you have such a guide, he’s the leader by example, it makes the job easier for us.”
Harden stepped up big this season after Paul George headed to the Philadelphia 76ers and while Kawhi Leonard took his time coming back from lingering knee issues. His role emerged partly out of necessity and partly because he’s a veteran leader who’s playing his 16th season in the NBA.
He said he’s learned that when things aren’t going well – the Clippers had lost three in a row before Wednesday’s victory – players need to work through the rough spots, such as poor transition defense, a lack of offensive rebounds and turnovers.
“You stay humble and continue to work no matter what. Put the work in. You got to continue with and stay focused,” Harden said. “Things can change for you like that. So, I’ve been in this league a long time and I’ve seen it obviously with myself and then with other players around.
“I’m just trying to be as much of a leader as I can and communicate to the guys when things aren’t going our way, you know what I mean? I feel like every loose ball is not going our way. Can’t get back in transition. … You got to just figure out ways to fight through it and get closer and be tighter. Tonight was a good start for us, so we get some rest in me. We got another one in a couple days.”
The Clippers (33-29) will need to be well-rested on Friday when they take on the New York Knicks (40-21), who currently are third in the Eastern Conference. On Sunday, the Sacramento Kings (32-29) visit Intuit Dome before the Clippers head back on the road.
And Harden, who is averaging 22.1 points and 8.5 assists, will be there at the forefront.
“He led us and we followed,” center Ivica Zubac said of the way Harden carried the team on Wednesday.
And it won’t be the last time.