Clippers have 'too much star power' to remain down for long
Los Angeles Clippers fans have every reason to believe their franchise will never win an NBA championship. From the Chris Paul- and Blake Griffin-powered teams in the early to mid-2010s to the current Kawhi Leonard and Paul George iteration, they never seem to live up to their potential.
The first two games of James Harden's career with the Clippers may put even more doubt in the minds of the team's fan base. In his debut against the Knicks on Monday, the Clippers lost, 111-97. They followed that up with a 100-93 loss in Brooklyn on Wednesday night.
Adding a player of Harden's caliber and skillset, however, will make the Clippers (3-4) better. It will, however, take time for him to gel with stars George and Leonard and Russell Westbrook.
Following the loss to the Nets, George spoke about patience in his postgame news conference.
Injuries and a lack of a true point guard are chief reasons why the Clippers have failed to live up to expectations since landing Leonard in free agency and trading for George in the summer of 2019.
For all Leonard’s greatness, he has never dominated as a playmaker, which has limited the team's offensive ceiling. When Leonard won his two NBA Finals MVP trophies, All-Star point guards Tony Parker (Spurs) and Kyle Lowry (Raptors) helped ease the playmaking burden for Leonard.
Harden should fill that void perfectly. He won the NBA assist crown last season, averaging 10.7. He is a pick-and-roll maestro who will either feed starting center Ivica Zubac easy baskets, spray the ball out to Los Angeles’ three-point shooters or get to the free-throw line thanks to his unique foul-drawing ability.
Aside from the Harden addition, the resurgence of Westbrook since joining the Clippers last season gives Los Angeles another ball handler who can put constant pressure on the rim. If Westbrook can keep within the range of his current shooting numbers (49.5% from the field and 34.6% from three), he may find himself playing crunch-time playoff minutes.
Los Angeles also boasts one of the NBA’s deepest benches. It starts with Norman Powell, an elite three-point shooter who can also attack the rim with devastating efficiency. He has a 66.6 true shooting percentage this season and has not fallen below the 60% mark since winning an NBA title with the Raptors in 2018-19.
Terance Mann, who made his season debut Wednesday night after sitting out because of an ankle sprain, will help steady the second unit. He struggled in his return (zero points, one assist, four rebounds), but Mann brings value to the Clippers on defense and as a secondary ball handler.
The addition of P.J. Tucker will also help. He is playoff tested, has great defensive instincts and is proficient at hitting the corner three-pointer, one of the NBA’s most valuable shots. Rounding out the bench is the talented but sometimes erratic Bones Hyland and the reliable Mason Plumlee, who suffered an MCL sprain against the Knicks and will miss "multiple months."
With the possibility of Leonard, George, Harden and Westbrook hitting free agency following the season, this may be owner Steve Ballmer’s last chance to win with the current core.
The defending champion Denver Nuggets are still deservingly the favorites in the Western Conference. With the addition of Harden, Ballmer has given his team the ability to compete with anyone. As George noted, it will take time for the Clippers and Harden to adjust to one another.
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