Clippers about to repeat Lakers' mistake with Russell Westbrook

The Clippers acquired Harden from the 76ers, giving them another former All-Start to join Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Starting Harden is a no-brainer, as is starting Leonard and George, but coach Tyronn Lue and the organization need only look across the hallway of the Crypto.com Arena to see how it worked when the Lakers started Westbrook alongside two ball-dominant stars.

In Westbrook's first season playing with Anthony Davis and LeBron James, the team went 33-49, with the NBA's 23rd-ranked offense. Westbrook's stats looked superficially solid — 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, 7.1 assists — but he turned the ball over nearly four times per game and shot under 30 percent from three-point range. And despite his poor scoring efficiency, Westbrook took almost as many shots as Davis.

Under Darvin Ham, Westbrook began coming off the bench. It was a marginal improvement, but at least Westbrook's shot-happy approach wasn't taking as many shots away from better offensive players. The team truly took off only after Westbrook was traded before the deadline.

Now the Clippers are planning to pair Westbrook with three players who like the ball in their hands, not just two. Last week, Westbrook told reporters that playing in Philadelphia's offense centered around Joel Embiid was "like being on a leash," and explained, "I'm not a system player, I am a system."

While Harden led the NBA in assists last season and Embiid won MVP, the Beard clearly wasn't happy. He doesn't sound like a player who is ready to spot up behind the arc and let someone else facilitate the offense. That makes Westbrook seem particularly extraneous. The 30.6 percent career three-point shooter isn't a spot-up threat nor is he known for moving without the ball or playing consistent defense.

In Houston, the team's struggles with playing Westbrook next to a non-shooter led the Rockets to trade Clint Capela and play an ultra-small-ball offense to give Westbrook more driving lanes. It's hard to imagine the Clippers having to adjust for Harden and Westbrook when they have two better players in George and Leonard already.

The best path forward is to make Westbrook into a sixth man, where his energy and ball-hogging won't affect the stars as much. That's where the Lakers eventually arrived, and it should become clear to the Clippers soon as well. Until then, we'll see if the Harden system can function with Westbrook as one of the cogs.