Former NBA player John Wall surprisingly praises James Harden despite his consistent failures in the NBA playoffs.
Once again, the Los Angeles Clippers’ journey was cut short in the postseason. This time around, however, they do not have any injuries to blame for the early exit.
If anything, they had one of the best rosters, at least on paper. While Kawhi Leonard did his job perfectly, even playing all games in the series, it was James Harden who failed to live up to the expectations.
Harden played terribly in the crucial Game 7 of the series, essentially handing the win to the Denver Nuggets.
Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty ImagesJohn Wall believes James Harden belongs in elite NBA company
When it comes to dominating individually, there are hardly any players who can rival the Beard in the modern era. But, it’s an entirely different story when Harden has been asked to play winning basketball.
In fact, NBA legend Kobe Bryant announced in 2019 that Harden cannot win a championship with his brand of basketball.
Despite knowing that, former NBA player John Wall clubbed Harden with the likes of Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, and Luka Doncic on a list of players who have a unique ability on the court.
“There’s only three guys in the league I feel like that they can control a game however they want, maybe four – James Harden, Luka, LeBron, and Jokic,” Wall said.
“They basically all can be point guards and they know when to take the big shots, know when to make the right plays,” Wall added.
Wall’s focus was on Jokic’s tremendous performance in Game 1 win against the OKC Thunder, where he had 42 points and 22 rebounds. But clubbing Jokic with Harden, especially right after the former eliminated the latter from the playoffs, was considered disrespectful by many fans.
John Wall: “There’s only 3 guys in the league I feel like that they can control a game however they want, maybe 4: James Harden, Luka, LeBron and Jokic” pic.twitter.com/HH6yRsb5Fg
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) May 6, 2025
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What’s next for James Harden
Harden is already 35 years old and he is yet to reach the NBA Finals in his career. Evidently, many have started questioning whether the Beard will ever end that slump.
There are many questioning his future with the LA Clippers, despite Harden having a $36.3 million player option for the 2025-26 NBA season.
The biggest deciding factor in Harden’s future in LA will be his synergy with Leonard. After all, it’s obvious that the Klaw is the team’s cornerstone player.
All things considered, the summer of 2025 will be very important for Harden as it could decide whether he will indeed retire ringless or get one last shot at playing winning basketball.