How The LA Clippers Went From Laughing Stocks To Contenders
Just over a month ago, I wrote an article titled “Why James Harden To The Clippers Has Been A Total Failure” because, to that point, LA’s blockbuster trade for Harden had been just that. At that point of said article, the Clippers would be in the midst of a 6-game losing streak that had them in all imaginable headlines, for all the wrong reasons. But now, LA has ripped off 9 straight games and finds themselves in the race atop the Western Conference. So how did we get here? Let’s discuss.
The defining moment in the Clippers’ turnaround has been their decision to move Russell Westbrook to the bench. Since Russ has been moved, LA has a record of 13–3 compared to their 3–7 record while he was starting. Though the Clippers’ success with Westbrook playing a much smaller role could be an indictment of him as a player, I believe it is everything but that. After trading for Harden, the Clippers were presented with a massive problem of simply having far too many players on the court who required touches, and their star players had apparent difficulties with finding each of their roles because of that. Seeing the struggles they were going through, head coach Ty Lue made the choice to insert Terance Mann into the starting lineup, and this move showed an age-old yet underappreciated aspect of basketball, that being talent not always equating to the best results and instead fit being what takes a team over the top. As a former MVP, Russ could have easily taken offense to this proposition of him taking a back seat, but I think it shows a lot about his character that he was not only willing to make that change but openly encouraged it. Many other greats like Westbrook have had unceremonial endings to their careers due to being unwilling to accept that they are not the player they once were, but it seems Russ will have a far more graceful exit from the league with his adoption of a team-above-all mindset. This mindset from a vocal leader like Westbrook has really seemed to wear off on the rest of the team and has been a primary reason for their ascension. One of the main issues that led to LA’s initial struggles after the trade was that they seemed like a bunch of individuals on the court opposed to a team. They have been able to change this though by establishing a clear pecking order and roles within the roster. James Harden since being moved to the PG has taken on the role of being far more of a traditional 1 as he is setting the table with his playmaking first and his scoring second. With Harden’s clear athletic decline as he reaches the tail end of his prime, he has accepted that his scoring must come in small spurts whenever he is the hot hand and instead defers to Kawhi and PG, understanding that they are simply more effective scorers on a consistent basis at this point in their respective careers. ‘The Beard’ is yet another example of how far being selfless can go for a team, similar to Westbrook being an MVP and one of the best players to ever touch a basketball yet having to adopt an altered role by means of maximizing his team’s success. With this adjustment in attitude and lineup, Paul George perfectly fits into this equation as he has always preferred being a secondary option, likely one of the reasons he never reached the top of the league status despite always being one of the most talented players. PG is the perfect second option for this offense as he is as well-rounded as they come, being someone who can thrive with and without the ball. George provides LA exactly what they need as he has the ability to lead second units when needed but can also be a primary factor in the starting 5 without disrupting the flow of the offense at any time. Now, this is all great, but the Clippers would still not be contenders if they didn’t have a true 1A who can go toe-to-toe with the league’s best; thankfully for them, they have Kawhi Leonard, a proven playoff riser who is having maybe the most underrated season from any star player. In this 9-game streak, Leonard is averaging just over 30 points on ridiculous shooting splits of 62%/51%/96%. Because of his frequent injuries and quiet personality, many easily forget just how good of a player Kawhi truly is, but if I were promised that he would remain healthy, I am hard-pressed to name 5 players I would rather have than ‘The Claw’ in a 7-game series. When LA had first acquired Harden, it seemed like Kawhi used that as an opportunity to take a smaller role, but since then he has been dominating and playing at an MVP level, which deserves way more attention than it has gotten. It is easy to look at these star names and give them all the credit but the role players on this team also deserve a ton of flowers for what they have been able to do. Ivica Zubac was someone who I had some major questions about regarding whether or not he could be the center for a championship team, but since then he has stepped up majorly as one of the best rim protectors and rebounders in basketball, even holding Nikola Jokic to one of his worst recent games. Alongside Harden, the 2 guard will most often be either Terrence Mann or Norman Powell who each have played excellently in their own right. Mann is having a down year offensively thus far coming off injury but plays his role very well as a pest defensively who is very low maintenance on the other end. Powell is having a truly incredible season, and the numbers with him alongside Harden are truly mind-blowing. With Harden and Powell on the court, LA is outscoring opposing teams by 25.9 Pts/Poss and ranks in the 99th percentile offensively and in the 98th defensively. With Norman on the court, LA can source 4 shooters, and that spacing makes the great isolation games of their stars unstoppable. Powell is shooting 45% from deep on the year, and having that many offensive threats on the court makes opponents just have to pick their poison and hope for the best when he’s on the court. LA also made the subtle yet important move of acquiring Daniel Theis to combat their size problem with a solid backup 5 who can provide reliable minutes whenever Zubac needs a breather. I expect the Clippers to remain active as we reach the deadline in making small moves to round out the roster, especially with guys like PJ Tucker and Bones Hyland falling out of the rotation.
Championships are never won in December, but this recent streak the Clippers have gone on has to leave fans feeling much better than they did just a month ago. The coaching staff and stars on the team deserve credit. Instead of panicking and giving up, they trusted their talent, looking in the mirror to see how they could better capitalize on it individually. LA has a massive game against OKC tonight, and if they can come out with a win, this team will look as scary as any team in the league.
