Los Angeles Clippers superstar James Harden is pegged as a candidate to have a steep drop-off in production this season.
More news:Warriors Interested in $112 Million Forward in Blockbuster Trade With West Squad
Harden is entering his 17th season at the age of 36, comfortably in the latter stages of his career.
Over recent seasons, he has missed a good amount of games, showing that his age is starting to affect his career.
Last season was a resurgence for Harden, as he played 79 games during the regular season in an impressive campaign.
The shooting guard averaged 22.8 points, 8.7 assists, and 5.8 rebounds in a season where he landed on the All-Star team.
He finished 10th in MVP voting and secured a spot on the All-NBA Third Team.
According to Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report, though, Harden is set to fall off production-wise this season.
"The former MVP returned to the All-Star Game for the first time since 2021-22 last year and made his first All-NBA team since 2020, but those honors came with a 41.0 field-goal percentage and a skyrocketing turnover rate-to say nothing of his increasingly immobile defense," Hughes wrote in a story.
"Even the greats slip eventually, and Harden is entering the age-36 season of a career that hasn't exactly been defined by an emphasis on conditioning."
Over the summer, Harden declined his $36.3 million player option and signed a two-year, $81.5 million deal with the Clippers.
"James takes on a tremendous workload for our team, as a playmaker and a scorer, and he does it with consistency and dependability," Clippers general manager Lawerence Frank said after Harden signed the deal.
"The NBA season is grueling, and James has proven he is built for it, in a way few are. He loves to play. He works on his game. He positions his teammates to succeed and his team to win. He's a true partner, as shown by this agreement, which allows us to reward James and continue building in the present and future."
While the new contract initially seems like a commitment to the guard, the Clippers are leaving themselves opening for potentially moving on.
The second year in the contract has a player option and is partially guaranteed, giving the Clippers an out from the James Harden business if he elects to test the waters again next year.
Harden has a proven track record of sustaining his play for a long time, but Father Time eventually catches up to everyone.
He may have another impressive season, but his age and other underlying factors may lead to a notable fall off.
Related Articles
2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.