The Los Angeles Clippers pushed all their chips in during the 2019 NBA offseason. Coming off a 48-win season the year prior, the Clippers decided to go out and sign NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and trade for Paul George in the same offseason, giving them two of the best two-way stars in the NBA.

Unfortunately, they have no championships to show for it and are now dealing with the consequences of that deal. To trade for George, the Clippers traded several draft picks, including their unprotected 2026 first-round pick. While they won 50 games last year, the Clippers are one of the worst teams this season, and just suffered their 11th loss to the Orlando Magic on Thursday.

That's now three straight losses for the Clippers and a 1-9 record in their last 10 games. Without their draft pick, there's simply nothing to do but try and compete for the time being. And with injuries flooding the roster as well, young players have been called to step up, and James Harden decided to send an uplifting message to them after the loss.

Harden Sends Encouraging Message To Young Clippers

"Keep fighting. Get the opportunity, be aggressive. Figure out what we're trying to do both offensively and defensively. And just be aggressive defensively, be solid...Play free, and if you got an opportunity to shoot the ball and be aggressive, do it," Harden said.

In Thursday's contest, the Clippers saw several young players log at least 10 minutes, including Yanic Konan Niderhauser (11 minutes), Kobe Brown (16 minutes), Cam Christie (12 minutes), and Kobe Sanders (26 minutes), who remained in the starting lineup.

Ty Lue hasn't typically played young players since joining the Clippers, but that's also been the case since he's usually had his veteran talents available. With Kawhi Leonard, Bradley Beal, and Derrick Jones Jr. among those sidelined, the Clippers have to work with what they have, even if it's an inexperienced group.

It was also another solid performance from Harden, who continues to do what he can for this Clippers team, logging 31 points and eight assists. While results surely haven't been going in the Clippers' favor, Harden has looked like the All-NBA player he was last season.

Looking ahead to the Clippers, they still have three games left on their seven-game road trip, as they'll head to Charlotte to face the Hornets on the front side of a back-to-back on Saturday. With the Cleveland Cavaliers awaiting them on Sunday, the Clippers desperately need to win one of these games to remain alive and confident in a still possible playoff chase.