Due to the fact that he has been a positive among all of the negatives, head coach Tyronn Lue is unwillingly forced to overuse James Harden. Lue's offense would be left in pieces without Harden, explaining why he is averaging 36.5 minutes over the last 12 games. Thus, this is concerning, as the LA Clippers will be cooked if he goes down.
In fact, Harden tied his career high in minutes this season in the NBA Cup, in the group-play win over the Dallas Mavericks, with 51. Previously, he hit this mark nearly half a decade ago with the Brooklyn Nets, on January 20th, 2021, where Collin Sexton's memorable performance carried the Cleveland Cavaliers to a double-overtime win.