Harden s playing time and usage rate are obviously high. Do the Clippers have to find a substitute for him?

The American media Bleacher Report recently published an article talking about the Los Angeles Clippers' plans for the offseason. Bleacher Report believes that the Clippers must strengthen the team's backcourt strength and reduce the burden on the team's backcourt core James Harden. The Clippers' biggest worry in the offseason is that they cannot reduce the burden on Harden.

Harden ranked fifth in the league in total playing time at the end of the regular season, and his three-point shooting has also seen a significant increase compared to last season. According to BBall Index, Harden's true usage rate (this data takes into account assists and potential assists) ranks 10th in the league. For a player who is already 35 years old, it is simply an unbearable workload. The Clippers should never let Harden consume his energy any longer when he was 36 years old. You know, Harden missed only 3 games last season, and his average playing time is as high as 35.3 minutes.

Bogdan Bogdanovic and Norman Powell are among the few players in the Clippers who have certain ball-holding abilities. They can also relieve some offensive pressure and burden on Harden when on the court, but this is obviously not enough. Kawhi Leonard's attendance and injury risks are always an unknown, and the team is clearly taking some measures to control his playing time and the ball rights on the court, and the team will reduce his usage rate every time he plays. Although Harden has the player options in hand this summer, it seems that Harden will not implement the player options. However, the Clippers should still renew Harden with a reasonable price, and Harden can also get a slight salary increase. After signing back to Harden, the Clippers should still have a lot of room for operation in terms of luxury tax, and most and even all the special cases of the middle class should be used. Bleacher Report If the Clippers can maintain this flexibility in operation, the money should be spent on others who can help organize the offense, and the Clippers must find a suitable substitute for Harden.

In the NBA regular season this season, Harden played 79 games in 82 games, averaging 35.3 minutes per game, averaging 22.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 8.7 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks, and 4.3 turnovers and 2.1 fouls, shooting percentage of 41%, three-point shooting percentage of 35.2%, and free throw shooting percentage of 87.4%. In the playoffs, Harden played 7 games in total, with averaging 39.4 minutes per game, averaging 18.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 9.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1 block, and 3 turnovers and 2.3 fouls, shooting percentage of 43.6%, three-point shooting percentage of 36.4%, and free throw shooting percentage of 81.8%. Next season, can the Clippers find a suitable substitute for him and can his playing time be reduced?