(Matt Slocum/AP Photo)

Basketball season is almost upon us and the Los Angeles Clippers hosted their first-ever media day at their newly opened Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. Clippers stars James Harden and Kawhi Leonard shared their thoughts and expectations for the group's upcoming NBA season. Here are some key takeaways from them.

James Harden on why he decided to re-sign with the Clippers and his expectations:

“I'm at home. I don't plan on going anywhere else. Like I want to leave a legacy right here. I had the opportunity to be home, so I love everything we do.”

“I know a lot of outsiders or analysts or whatever you want to call them don't have high expectations of us, but we have high expectations of ourselves. I've never missed the playoffs in my entire career. So I feel like our entire team has a lot to prove. You know, for me as a leader, there have been many situations where, quote for quote, teams weren't good enough and we got people to believe in us. So I think this is an opportunity.”

James Harden says if you have patience with this new group:

“We have neither time nor patience. We have to do it now. We got off to a really good start and for the last few weeks I've been in the gym with these guys. We condition, run crazy and prepare. You know what I mean because we are behind and the training camp will be helpful for us. The preseason will be helpful for us. You can see that a lot of young teams in particular get off to a great start and then, as you know, they trickle out at the end. And most older teams need a little more time to get started. But we need to get off to a good start and make our name and presence known right from the start and carry that with us throughout the season.”

Kawhi Leonard answers questions during Clippers Media Day at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., on September 30, 2024. (Aaron Parker/Back Sports Page)

Kawhi Leonard on how he's feeling physically:

“We took it day by day. Everything has been going great for the last month, but you know, they are very cautious for certain reasons.”

Kawhi on his motivation to keep playing:

“I can play. I mean, I played the most games in a long time last year. I played about 68 games and he was one of the guys who probably didn't get any rest at the start of this season. But just keep going, obviously I've come back from ACL and injured myself in the last two years and you know it's a progression for me.”

“I went from 0 games to 52 and 68. Let’s see if I can go from there.”

Kawhi Leonard on whether he feels more pressure after Paul George's departure:

“No not really. i mean, Obviously he made things easier on the pitch. But in terms of my mental concentration before the game, I don't feel like it's going to be any harder for me. Personally, I didn't pay attention to anyone I was on the court with, and I don't look to him to be my savior. I accept my own role and my challenges that I have to face in every single game and you know, I go in and try to dominate the game. With that being said, my mindset will change in that way.”

This will be the Clippers' first season without the duo of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard since the 2018-19 season. George decided to sign a four-year contract with the Philadelphia 76ers in the summer. Many basketball experts don't have high expectations for this team, so it will be interesting to see if this group can prove them wrong.

Aaron Parker is a basketball writer for Back Sports Page. He writes content about the Lakers and Clippers. You can follow Aaron on Twitter @AirParker24.