20 Second Timeout

Two L.A. Stories: Sinking Lakers, Rising Clippers

The two NBA teams in L.A. appear to be on different trajectories, with the Lakers slumping and the Clippers ascending. 

The Lakers started the season 14-9--including a 6-0 performance in the NBA Cup (their NBA Cup championship game win versus the Indiana Pacers does not count in the regular season standings)--but they are just 3-9 since the NBA Cup, and they are 10th in the Western Conference standings. The 17-18 Lakers are in danger of missing the playoffs for the second time in the past three seasons, which would be embarrassing for a team featuring LeBron James and Anthony Davis, who are both members of the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. 

Considering how much hype was heaped on the Lakers just a few months ago, it is funny that the Lakers have just three more wins this season than they did at the same point last season. A year ago, LeBron James' p.r. team in the media worked nonstop to convince the world that Russell Westbrook was the main reason for the Lakers' poor play. The Lakers traded Westbrook for Malik Beasley, D'Angelo Russell, and Jarred Vanderbilt on February 9, 2023, and I asserted that the Westbrook trade did not improve the Lakers' playoff chances. Although the Lakers advanced to the 2023 Western Conference Finals, in retrospect it is apparent that their playoff run was (1) not as impressive as it may have seemed at first and (2) not indicative that the team had improved in a sustainable way: the two teams that the Lakers beat in the playoffs--the Memphis Grizzlies and the Golden State Warriors--have collapsed this season, and the Lakers were swept 4-0 by the Denver Nuggets, the first legit championship contender that they faced. The "triumphant trio" (as I derisively termed them) of Beasley, Russell, and Vanderbilt did not accomplish much during the 2023 playoffs; in game four of the Western Conference Finals, Beasley and Vanderbilt did not play, while Russell scored four points in 15 minutes as the Nuggets closed out the series.

The notion that trading Westbrook for the "triumphant trio" turned the Lakers into a championship contender was laughable at the time, and looks absurd now; the "experts" who praised the trade are now struggling to figure out how to admit that they were wrong without retracting their Westbrook slander and without assigning any blame to James, whose fingerprints are all over the Lakers' personnel moves since he joined the team.

This season, the Lakers rank 13th in defensive field goal percentage, 16th in points allowed, 17th in points scored, and 19th in rebounding; they are mediocre (or worse) at both ends of the court, and it is unlikely that they will come close to repeating last season's fluky run to the Western Conference Finals. On Wednesday night, the Lakers lost 110-96 at home to a Miami team sans Jimmy Butler. James had a game-worst -20 plus/minus number while scoring 12 points on 6-18 field goal shooting; that bad performance is an aberration in an otherwise strong season for James, but it cannot be denied that he seemed more focused on winning the NBA Cup than on leading the Lakers to a top four seed. If the Lakers continue to implode, it will be fascinating to see how Dave McMenamin, Brian Windhorst, and the rest of James' p.r. team spin the debacle in a way that absolves James. Without Westbrook to serve as the scapegoat, who will be the next fall guy? Coach Darvin Ham should keep his head on a swivel.

While the Lakers are floundering, the Clippers have won 18 of their last 23 games. They lost six straight games after trading for James Harden (who was inactive for the first of those games), but now they have the fourth best record in the Western Conference. The main reason for the Clippers' success is Kawhi Leonard, who is not injured or load managing for the first time since he led the Toronto Raptors to the 2019 NBA title. Leonard has played in 29 of 33 games this season; the Clippers are 19-10 with Leonard and 2-2 without him. Paul George, who has not played in more than 56 games in a season since 2018-19, has played in 31 games this season, and he has been a strong second option.

For a decade I have insisted that the best role for Harden is third option on a championship contender, and he is in that role now for the first time since he was the third option for the Oklahoma City Thunder when the Thunder reached the 2012 NBA Finals before falling to the Miami Heat (Harden was the nominal third option during his brief stay in Brooklyn, but Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Harden were rarely on the court together for a variety of reasons). Harden's numbers with the Clippers are solid, but the 76ers' success this season after trading Harden demonstrates that (1) Harden's assists are fungible and (2) Harden's individual numbers do not create wins. Harden consistently disappears in the playoffs, and it is a good bet that he will disappear in the 2024 playoffs, so even though Harden is finally in the ideal role it remains to be seen if Leonard's ability to produce in the clutch can outweigh Harden's annual playoff "concert tours." 

Westbrook's role in the Clippers' success should be mentioned. Westbrook finished last season with the Clippers after the Lakers discarded him, and he played well as a starter for the Clippers before willingly accepting a reserve role this season after Harden joined the team. Westbrook ranks second on the team in both rebounding (6.5 rpg) and assists (4.7 apg) while averaging 11.8 ppg in just 23.9 mpg. Westbrook is unselfish, he is a great teammate, he rarely misses games, and he plays consistently plays hard. The Lakers could sure use a player like that!

Labels: Anthony Davis, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, L.A. Clippers, L.A. Lakers, LeBron James, Paul George, Russell Westbrook

posted by David Friedman @ 1:41 AM

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