Clippers' James Harden Felt Playstyle 'on a Leash' with 76ers; 'Not a System Player'

James Harden may have found himself playing on one of the best teams of his career with the Philadelphia 76ers, but the former league MVP doesn't believe that the organization allowed him to be the best version of himself.

During his introductory press conference with the Los Angeles Clippers—to whom he was traded this week—Harden told reporters that he felt like he was "on a leash" while with the 76ers as he had to adjust his style of play.

"When I meant a leash, I don't mean just shooting the basketball every time. I meant, like, I think the game and I'm a creator on the court. If I've got a voice to where I can say, 'Hey, Coach, I see this. Whatchu think about this?' Then it's like, 'Alright, OK.' Someone that trusts me, that believes in me, that understands me."

He added: "I'm not a system player. I am a system."

Harden grew unhappy with his time in Philadelphia after it became clear that the organization wasn't keen on giving him a max contract extension following yet another poor showing in the postseason, particularly in Game 7 of the second round against the Boston Celtics.

The 10-time All-Star decided to pick up his $35.6 million player option for this season before demanding a trade to the Clippers, putting Philadelphia president of basketball operations Daryl Morey in a bind.

While he was in the City of Brotherly Love, Harden's scoring numbers took a bit of a dip from his days with the Houston Rockets, with whom he led the league in scoring for three consecutive years.

However, playing next to superstar Joel Embiid, Harden was one of the best facilitators in the league. Last season he led the NBA in assists per game with 10.7.

It was the second time in his career that he led the league in that category, and his play was a big reason Embiid led the NBA in scoring and ultimately nabbed the first MVP of his career.

Now, Harden will attempt to get back to playing a style that he feels is more suited toward his skill set. But he'll have to do on it on a roster that's even more loaded with big names like Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and Russell Westbrook.

The Clippers front office will be hoping things work out better than Harden's previous three stops. He forced his way out of Houston, Brooklyn and Philadelphia.