Ty Lue Says James Harden's 'Being Too Polite' After Clippers' Loss to Grizzlies

After James Harden's first home game as a Los Angeles Clipper ended Sunday with a 105-101 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, head coach Ty Lue suggested the team's newest star should do what he can to be himself.

"He's being too polite," Lue said, per ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk.

Harden recorded 11 points and four rebounds on 4-for-12 shooting in the loss.

"I think he's doing too much to try to fit in," Lue said. "So that's on me. Just yesterday we had a talk amongst the team and just he has to be James Harden. He led the league in assists the last two or three years, and making plays and what he does in the pick-and-roll, he's great. So, we have to allow him to be himself."

"He doesn't want to step on anybody's toes, and I understand that just to have respect for PG, Kawhi, Russ, because they've been here. But we need James to be James, and so that's on me to make sure I make him be James."

The Clippers have now lost five straight games. They have yet to win since acquiring Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers.

Harden's numbers have dipped since leading the NBA in scoring three times with the Houston Rockets, but even amidst multiple midseason trades, he has averaged at least 20 points per game in his last three campaigns.

After missing part of Sixers training camp and sitting out the first four games of the season, Harden has yet to find that consistency in Los Angeles. Through four starts with the Clippers he is averaging 13.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 31.3 minutes per game.

That's a departure from Harden's last two midseason trades, after which he immediately began putting up All-Star numbers with his new teams.

In his first four games with the Brooklyn Nets after his trade from the Rockets in January 2021, Harden averaged 26.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and 12.3 assists.

In his first four games with the Sixers following his February 2022 trade from the Nets, Harden averaged 28.7 points with 7.5 rebounds and 12.0 assists.

Those numbers show that Harden is used to making an immediate splash after a trade, but a four-game sample size doesn't mean Harden won't eventually return to All-Star form with the Clippers.

The Clippers return to action Tuesday to face the defending champion Denver Nuggets on the road.

In order to hand the Nuggets their first home loss of the season, the Clippers will need more from Harden. According to Lue, that will happen once the 10-time All-Star adjusts to running plays with Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook.