James Harden: “I’m a system”

Addressing reporters for the first time as a Clippers player, James Harden candidly discussed his trade request from the Sixers.

Harden expressed a sentiment of feeling constrained by the Sixers last season, describing it as being kept on a metaphorical leash.

“When I mean a leash, I don’t mean just shooting the basketball every time,” Harden said via ESPN’s Malika Andrews (Twitter link).

“I think the game and I’m a creator on the court … [I need] somebody that trusts me, that believes in me, that understands me, that I’m not a system player. I am a system.”