Harden opens up on Clippers’ confidence after another win

After a sluggish start to the 2025-26 season, James Harden is back to his confident best as the Los Angeles Clippers are riding a wave of solid performances.

What began as a campaign filled with losses and questions has slowly turned into something more promising, and Harden believes the turnaround could have real momentum behind it.

Just recently, the Clippers secured their fourth consecutive win, a steaming 119-105 victory over the Washington Wizards, part of an impressive 11-2 run that has seen the team play their best basketball in months.

It is a remarkable shift for a team that once sat at 6-21 and looked all but out of contention. That run has put them close to a play-in spot and given fans something to cheer about as the All-Star break approaches.

“Being a lot better defensively is what really helped us”

“Some teams, when it gets that bad, they just let the wheels fall off,” Harden said in the aftermath of the game. “I had interviews where people were asking me, ‘How do you find confidence?’ and I’m like, ‘The confidence is there. The losses are frustrating, but the confidence is still there.’

After expressing his hope about the rich vein of form, Harden explained where it came from: “I think finding little tweaks and being a lot better defensively is what really helped us out," he said. “Now we got to take one game at a time, just like when we were in the hole. We can come all the way back, but we have to chip away, chip away and really build some momentum going into the All-Star break.”

Alongside Kawhi Leonard, Harden’s scoring has flipped the script on the season, with the chemistry between the two stars flourishing. “We talk probably more than anybody,” Harden revealed. “Once I see him flip the switch, it was like, ‘OK, yeah, it’s time to go.’ That’s the Kawhi we need. My job is just facilitate, get him going, get us going. So it’s just been a complete 180.”

Despite the turn in fortune, the Clippers star’s future is still the subject of speculation. He was asked about this chatter from the media, and shut it down completely: “It’s hard to explain,” he said. “Being at home, that’s like the opportunity of a lifetime for me. Just be able to hoop in front of my family, friends, people I grew up with, people that raised me. It’s a different feeling. So as much as people talk all the time. That’s social media, that’s what people’s jobs are to talk. For me, it’s just like I’m actually living in it so I can’t get caught up in what people talk about, how people feel, whatever the case. I’m from L.A. and I’m blessed to be here.”

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