James Harden 'is a system' & debating the merits of the In-Season Tournament | No Cap Room

Fri, Nov 3, 2023, 10:32 PM·2 min read

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James Harden has yet to play his first game for the Los Angeles Clippers, but the sparks and the spicy quotes have already started flying. Jake Fischer & Dan Devine kick off this week's episode of No Cap Room with a look at Harden's comments about, "[not being] a system player, [rather] a system." Were these comments shots at former coach Doc Rivers and GM Daryl Morey, and how will Clippers coach Ty Lue balance Harden's offensive identity with three other high-usage players on the court in Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook?

Later, Dan & Jake dive into the NBA's In-Season Tournament, which kicks off tonight with seven games. The guys discuss the 30 new courts rolled out for the series, whether it will generate the desired fan interest in November and tweaks they'd like to see made to the tournament in the coming years as year one may just be a beta version of a more fully fleshed-out iteration of the bracket.

They also react to Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs beating Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns twice this week, a feat that has Dan exploding with optimism for the French rookie. Also, they take the pulse (or lack thereof) of the Miami Heat, who have started 1-4 after making it all the way to the NBA Finals this summer.

Finally, the guys close out the show reading some funny NBA-related press releases that have made it into their inboxes.

1:50 - Embiid fined for crotch-chops

6:30 - Harden 'is a system'

22:40 - Will the In-Season Tournament be good?

35:20 - Wembanyama leads Spurs past Suns in back-to-back games

49:35 - Worried about the Heat's 1-4 start?

54:25 - Funny press releases