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The Clippers and Lakers look more like roommates than rivals. They share the same roof, they have the same passive-aggressive arguments about things that happened a long time ago and they usually avoid them as much as possible. In 34 seasons in Los Angeles, the Clippers and Lakers have never been ranked among the top four in the Western Conference standings at the same time, and they have never faced each other in the playoffs. It could change soon.
With Anthony Davis joining LeBron James and Kawhi Leonard teaming up with Paul George, the Lakers and Clippers are finally on a collision course. Here is how they correspond:
Projected entries:
LAL: Rajon Rondo, Danny Green, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins
LAKE: Patrick Beverley, Shary Landry, Paul George, Leonard Kawhi, Ivica Zubac
Rotation players:
LAL: Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, JaVale McGee, Quinn Cook, Alex Caruso
LAKE: Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell, Maurice Harkless, Jerome Robinson, Mfiondu Kabengele
Depth:
LAL: Jared Dudley, Troy Daniels
LAKE: Rodney McGruder, Terance Mann
notation
LAL: We need only go back one season (2017-18) to get a rough idea of how the Cousins, Davis and Rondo unite in an offensive way. In 497 minutes together for the Pelicans, the trio had an offensive score of 108.4 (New Orleans ranked 12th in the league with an offensive score of 108.5 this season). Of course, the fourth and fifth members of the court matter a bit, especially when one of them will be LeBron James instead of Solomon Hill. Davis and James will manage for easy baskets. New head coach Frank Vogel has demonstrated his ability to create gaps with five outings, even though he has more ground staff. Kyle Kuzma can carry the scoring charge for the second unit, and the Cousins scored 23 points every 36 minutes at a lower force than a loaded Warriors team. No team offers bigger individual clashes physically than the Lakers, but to quote Villanova coach Jay Wright, the spacing is offensive and the attack is spacing. Can the Lakers create enough to take advantage of their dominance on the edge?
LAKE: Doc Rivers probably does not have enough credit for his offensive projects. In six seasons in Los Angeles, the Clippers have never been below the top 10 offensive rankings, despite extremely different levels of talent. George (second in points per game last season) and Leonard (sixth in PPG) are used to heavy offensive charges. Three other players will not create their own shot in the first five starts. switch. However, unlike the other two-star teams, the Clippers will not have to stress for huge minutes thanks to the presence of Lou Williams and his pick-and-roll partnership with Montrezl Harrell in the second unit. The ability to create more dribbles with smaller queues and burning teams that send too much help gives the Clippers a slight advantage.
Advantage: Mowers
shooting
LAL: After finishing last season 29th with a percentage of 3 points, the Lakers will once again invest heavy minutes in several players (Davis, Cousins, Rondo, Kuzma, Caldwell-Pope, McGee) who shoot at less than 35% of the back in the back of their career. Although rearward additions to the lineup (Cook, Daniels, Dudley) may provide spacing, it is unclear how long they will win on the field as specialists. Danny Green is the 3-and-D type that the Lakers desperately need, depending on what version they get. Is he the guy who shot 45% last season in Toronto, or who has spent three consecutive seasons in San Antonio less than 38% before that? The timing of Leonard's signing left only limited options for free will, but the Lakers failed to fully address their biggest weakness of last season.
LAKE: The Clippers placed second in the NBA with a percentage of 3 points (38.8), but were a low volume team (28th in 3PA). George will help on that front, since he won nearly 10-3 against a match last season for Oklahoma City and can get a great look when he wants to. With Shamet (45% of 3 in Los Angeles) and Patrick Beverley (nearly 40% in two seasons with the Clippers), the Clippers will force the teams to choose their poison: give up a big game 3 or play directly against two of the forces most dangerous offensives of the league. This one is not closed.
Advantage: Mowers
Rim protection
LAL: When Davis is motivated, his length makes him an excellent protector of the rim, but he more often flushes the blocks on the weaker side than he stands with the chest and goes vertically. Cousins has the opposite problem: he stands in front of, but he can not climb or shoot at the shooters outside his area in the same way since he tore his Achilles. according to Glass cleaning, the 2017-2018 pelicans were 21st in the throwout percentage allowed within four feet of the basket prior to Cousins' injury. Saving grace – something he has never called before – could be JaVale McGee. He ranked sixth in the NBA (min: 50 games played) as a percentage of rim shots fought while he was on the ground last season and held the teams at a tireless 52% shot . Thanks to that, McGee could be better next to Davis in the starting lineup.
LAKE: Dip in this shadenfreude; The Clippers were not terribly defensive last season, but they were ninth in the percentage of goals scored after securing Zubac from the Lakers on the trade deadline. Only the great man of the Pacers, Myles Turner, defended a greater frequency of shooting than Zubac did when he was on the ground. It's hard to say how far he'll be on the pitch, with Harrell offering so much more offensively. Harrell's height limits his ability to play, but with three of the league's best defenders in the league (Beverley, Leonard, George) in front of him, one has to wonder: how much do you need protection from the rim if nobody can get there?
Advantage: Lakers
Transition
LAL: The Lakers are likely to release gas during the transition between Luke Walton and Lonzo Ball, but the pendulum should not swing too far. Davis is used to playing at a high pace and turning rebounds into single-player breaks, and LeBron and Davis downhill on defense will result in many "trade decisions". The Lakers were at their best last season when LeBron went to the rim with an inconsiderate surrender, and the addition of Green (both offensive and defensive) will have a big impact in this setting. The Lakers could be a little closer to the league average, but they should be much more effective than they were last season and will be more successful in attacking defenses that are not settled neither packaged.
LAKE: All indications are that the Clippers play fast. The smaller formations (with Harrell at 5) will be able to burn the field. George and Leonard can both catch and leave. Rivers has also adopted a faster tempo over the years. That said, it's quite common to see two superstars who have never played together before falling into the trap of the turn and the resulting slowdown (think of LeBron and Dwyane Wade in Miami or Chris Paul and James Harden in Houston). . The idealized version of this team will play fast, but it will probably take time.
Advantage: Lakers
Post Play
LAL: The Lakers fans who have not had the chance to regularly observe Davis are surprised by his surprise: he is almost 7 feet tall and pulls more on the distorted legs than the goals. Davis has a sort of awkward clumsiness in his post and makeup games that only a person with a single bow can achieve. While the Lakers will not hesitate to confide it to Davis, he is the most dangerous on the move. Nevertheless, you feel almost uncomfortable for the other Western Conference teams who have spent the last few years adapting to the small ball, but who have been clubbed this season by an array of monsters including LeBron, Boogie and AD. There will always be a mouse in the house.
LAKE: The block should be largely unoccupied, but Leonard and George will both work side by side and will still punish the small defenders. The Clippers will use Zubac and Harrell more as filters and plant them along the baseline instead of throwing them at the block. It's not long since any serious offense dealt with touching the attack is a crucial part of the equation, but it may be so. Just maybe not for the Clippers.
Advantage: Lakers
Off-Ball Defense
LAL: It was the "break" of the Lakers veterans last season. Rondo and LeBron were the two biggest offenders. The teams quickly discovered that they were standing in front of the painting and watching the ball, causing incredibly long rotations for everyone else present. Davis and Green will help cover many of these mistakes with the speed and length of their feet, but Rondo is unplayable at the limit when he is not engaged in defense. Cook and Caruso looking for time at the goalkeeper position, even with their faults, could be a distinct advantage because of this area only. If the Lakers veterans are waiting for the games to be really important to start helping, they will not like the result.
LAKE: Last season, the Clippers were 27th in percentage of rotation and allowed free throw rate, and 25th in percentage of defensive rebound. These are three of the "four factors," and the numbers suggest an underlying problem in most of the list of players returning to the game: players were too often in a position to get out of the box, play correctly, or play. the passing lanes. As much as George and Leonard bring to the table, teams will always find ways to create benefits elsewhere, and the Clippers simply need to improve their response. Yet there is too much potential here to be ignored.
Advantage: Mowers
Ball Defense
LAL: The Lakers were pretty solid at the point of attack last season. LeBron viewed the isolations against him as a personal affront and the shipwrecked (Ball and Josh Hart in particular) defended their position at a high level. The Lakers were 13th in defensive efficiency last season, which is quite remarkable given that it was a lost season. There is cause for concern, however. Cousins will be a slow-moving target in pick-and-roll situations, especially without Draymond Green who does not cover his back. Rondo is 33 and will have to face the West Conference Guantlet again. Danny Green will be great on the ball, but it will be easy to avoid. The good news? That's what Frank Vogel does best. If the Lakers adhere, which is a great "if" for any LeBron team, they can be solid.
LAKE: George and Leonard are the best duo of defensive superstars since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen shared the floor. Bless the hearts of every player who gets his full stature all the way through, then see a Pit Bull like Beverley in front of him in the next possession. George and Leonard will not have to look very far to create the identity of their team. That's it.
Advantage: Mowers
Global
LAL: There are few things more terrifying than the LeBron playoffs. The acquisition of Davis, assuming his health is reasonable, ensures that we will see this version of LeBron again. The Lakers are likely to look different after exploring the buyout market later this season, but LeBron has done more with less in the past. The perception of every major player on this team is at its lowest level, but the Lakers have the kind of talent that can overwhelm even the best defensive teams. The Clippers are better equipped to deal with injuries and have the upper floor, but the ceiling for the Lakers is just as high.
LAKE: The usual things we've seen about the freshly chased super-teams are already in place: the defensive leader who does not need the ball in his hands to be effective (Beverley), the deadly ground shooter keep the defenses honest (Shamet), the energy needed to clean up all the damage (Harrell), the big body in the center (Zubac) and the marker of the second unit that can help support the charge late in the matches (Williams). All the pieces match two of the league's most complete stars, who will not have to change their matches to fill the gaps. Leonard can do his job in isolation from the middle of the field and George can detect it. George can get off the wing, and Leonard can find the weak points of the defense away from the ball. Both can push in transition and create gravity away from the ball, or punish substitute teams by taking smaller defenders to block. As long as there will be viable shooting threats around them, the poison picking will be intense. After seeing Leonard win the title in Toronto, it's not unrealistic to rank the Clippers as a favorite at this stage.
Advantage: Mowers
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