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After starting the season hot, the Los Angeles Clippers have been in free fall. Since the trade for James Harden, the team has been in a steep decline. During that stretch, they haven’t won a single game. Further, their troubles reached rock bottom with a loss to the 1-8 Memphis Grizzlies. Safe to say, the situation isn’t ideal. But, while many reasons could contribute to the team’s dramatic decline, Charles Barkley has a ready-made solution.

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And, it isn’t that hard to think about, according to the Philadelphia 76ers legend.

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Charles Barkley has the key to unlocking the new-look LA Clippers

The NBA on TNT crew got to talking about the aftermath of the blockbuster Harden trade. While Kenny “The Jet” Smith wasn’t willing to drop a final verdict just yet, Shaquille O’Neal was adamant about the team’s failure.

However, somewhere in the middle lay Charles Barkley himself. Even though blunt, Shaq’s breakdown of the multitude of ball-handlers on the team was logical and genuine. But, for Barkley, the remedy was also obvious.

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Somebody’s gotta come off the bench. Because you have 4 guys who are great players – all need the ball. [But] there’s only one ball. I mean, like, this ain’t brain surgery. It’s like, ok, is someone going to sacrifice?

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Barkley explained, “Because, you’ve got 3 players standing and watching around like their turn, my turn. That’s not how you play basketball.”?

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Unfortunately, their 6th straight loss came down to one possession multiple times. Each time, it was Chuck’s comments that rang true.

The end of the Nuggets-Clippers highlights Chuck’s issues

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The final 2 minutes became a microcosm for the Chuckster’s prophecy. During that stretch, each Clippers possession essentially boiled down to an isolation by one of its stars.

While they were partially successful, it could not stop the onslaught of the team-friendly, ball-movement-heavy style of the Denver Nuggets.

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Read More: 5 Games of James Harden in LA, and Clippers are ?Mathematically? Out of In-season Tournament

Instead, that stark contrast became the difference in the scoreboard. The Nuggets, despite missing their ace point guard Jamal Murray, were able to escape with a win, rendering the James Harden-era Clippers winless still.

With calls for Harden to go to the bench, is the season all but over?

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Priyanshu

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Priyanshu is an NBA beat Writer at EssentiallySports, with a healthy command over the technical aspects of the sport. Priyanshu has creatively covered the often entertaining interactions between legends Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley along with in-depth analysis of the games. He was at the forefront of the 2023 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony, covering each and every aspect of the historic night in Springfield, Massachusetts. Furthermore, his article on Shaq and the UFC garnered close to a million pageviews. Moving away from the world of sports, Priyanshu is also an avid gamer, who can display other-worldly skills on NBA 2K.

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Aakash Nair

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