Change is needed and its needed now for the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Clippers continue to be in a downward spiral as they are coming off a 101-122 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. This puts the Clippers at 6-21 and the 14th seed in the Western Conference. This season has been nothing short of a disaster. 

At this point, the tough conversations need to be not only discussed but exercised, and it’s going to need to start with a maintenance check on the best players Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.

Kawhi Leonard and James Harden tenure this year

The friction of the season has been rough on everyone, but for the two best players it may have reached new heights. Following the Clippers last home loss to the Grizzlies, both Leonard and Harden denied speaking to the media. 

Kawhi Leonard and James Harden left without speaking to reporters after the Clippers’ blowout loss to Memphis.

— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) December 16, 2025

Coming in, the expectations for the Clippers was to compete for an NBA championship, and from opening night when they got blitzed by the Utah Jazz it has been anything but that. 

Injuries to guard Bradley Beal who had a season ending injury due to fractured hip, and forward Derrick Jones Jr. who suffered a sprain MCL last month against the Boston Celtics has put the Clippers in a bad spot. Questions surrounding President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank and Head Coach Tyronn Lue on their performance in their roles have been brought to the forefront. 

While all of these things are true, the bulk of the eyes are going to fall on two best players on the team Leonard and Harden. 

For this season as a Duo, Leonard and Harden are 4-12. This would be the first season the two would get the chance to be looked at as the face of the team together. Back in 2023 when Harden first arrived, it was led by Leonard and former All-Star Paul George. Last season, with Leonard missing the first part of the season playing 37 out of 82 games. This would open the opportunity for Harden, Norman Powell, and Ivica Zubac to lead the charge. Which they maintained being a mid level team in the Western Conference.

This season, Leonard and Harden statistically have been playing at an All-star level. Back in November, Leonard missed 10 out of 27 games with a foot and ankle sprain. Harden missed his first game of the season vs the Thunder with a left calf contusion. With that being said, the losses are continuing to pile up over wins.

James Harden: 23.3 PPG│5.3 RPG│8.6 APG│ 47.1% FG│41.7% 3P│93.3% FT

Kawhi Leonard: 24.3 PPG│5.7 RPG│3.5 APG│2.5 SPG│50.5% FG│40.0% 3P│96.3% FT

Which teams could use their services? pic.twitter.com/3PwEMii2Ub

— APHoops (@APH00PS) November 7, 2025

So what is exactly the problem?

Leonard and Harden don’t fit

Basketball is more than just putting talented players on one team while rolling out the ball and say go play. How players fit with each other play a vital role to the team’s success. The top teams around the league have a coaching scheme where the players play off each other particularly the two best stars. For the Clippers, they don’t have that.

The reality is they have two Hall of Fame caliber players who don’t elevate each others games. In years prior, this could be hidden because players like George and Powell were able to fill in the holes between Leonard and Harden which led them to be playoff caliber teams. That is not the case this season.

Leonard and Harden have different styles of play that means each player needs different things around them to reach their max peaks. That is fine when they are playing on different teams, but when you’re speaking about them being together they get in each other’s way. They don’t elevate each other,  and they don’t feed off one another. So what do you do?

The team needs to value Leonard over Harden

Since these are two star caliber players who excel under different systems. The question becomes who do you choose to value more?

Its the two time champion. Leonard.

Despite the false narrative, Leonard never plays. In the 2024-25 postseason, he completed his playoff run versus the Denver Nuggets having the series high in scoring at 25.0 ppg. Aside his minor ankle sprain he has been healthy. Leonard is a proven champion, and any team he is added to has championship expectations. In the regular season, Harden has carried many teams to the playoffs, but has yet to receive a championship. Therefore, Leonard for the betterment of the team needs to be looked at as the number one priority, and what fits around him.

Harden’s usage rate is at 30.5% compared to Leonard’s 30.2%. This is beyond, Harden being the primary decision maker of the team. The system Harden has played under since his Houston Rockets days is the same system he is playing under today. 

In watching the games, role players such as Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr, John Collins, Brook Lopez and Ivica Zubac have been relegated to fit around Harden’s ball dominant, high pick-and-roll, stagnant offensive system. The same system that ranks 28th in the league offensively.

In his younger days, this style of play may have worked for Harden, but as time went on with age that is no longer an effective offense. Most importantly, it doesn’t fit how Leonard plays basketball. There is a conflict of issue between the two stars. Unless Harden, can change how he has played, and be the point guard not only that Leonard needs but the team as well. This will be an opportunity for the Clippers to bring in someone that can fit better with Leonard.