The new-look Clippers won’t be an overnight success. With Harden in tow, Los Angeles will need to make some drastic changes to realize its potential.
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James Harden’s debut with the Los Angeles Clippers went as badly as anyone could’ve expected. In a 14-point loss to the New York Knicks, the Clippers defense looked old, slow, and unathletic, while the offense played an ugly version of your turn, my turn basketball and finished with more turnovers than assists. Chemistry doesn’t form overnight, particularly after a heavy-usage star is added during the season, but it’s clear just how much seasoning this roster will need in order to have championship hopes.
Harden finished Monday’s game with 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting, with six assists and three rebounds in 31 minutes. Here are five thoughts about the state of the new-look Clippers following his debut:
1. It’s only a matter of time until Harden dominates the ball.
Before Harden’s debut, Clippers head coach Ty Lue said that he’ll start off by having the team’s new acquisition play off the ball, with Russell Westbrook continuing to run the show. But it’s inevitable that Harden will be in control soon enough. Though he’s not in his prime, good things still tend to happen when he’s in control of the half-court offense:
The Clippers scored 23 points on 19 Harden pick-and-rolls in his debut, according to Synergy Sports. Harden feasted from midrange and launched 3s off the dribble, including one pull-up from logo distance. And as a constant threat to score, he also drew in the attention of the defense to create easy looks for his teammates. Harden generated one shot at the rim for center Ivica Zubac and multiple open 3s for Norman Powell and Kawhi Leonard.
“It was his first game in a while, and we know it takes time to get into a rhythm,” Leonard told reporters after the game. “He did a great job to me, got everybody involved running pick-and-roll very well.”
Westbrook has done a solid job of setting up the offense so far this season. But Harden is the better decision-maker off the dribble and undoubtedly the better shooter. Even in the second half, it seemed he was already beginning to take control, getting far more touches than he received earlier in the game. It may not be long until running the offense is entirely his responsibility.
2. Harden needs to evolve.
It’s encouraging to see Harden pick up where he left off in the pick-and-roll, but playing with stars like Leonard and Paul George will require him to show more layers to his game. Come playoff time, especially, those two will be receiving more creation opportunities, which will leave Harden off the ball.
In the first half, while sharing the floor with Westbrook, Harden spotted up from behind the arc in the corner and on the wing. When the ball found him on one occasion, he passed up an open look and swung it to the corner. In the second half, he and Leonard both passed up open 3s on the same possession. For some strange reason, Harden’s still not jacking off-ball shots, even though it’s an efficient play.
Harden has made nearly 40 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3s in his career. But according to Synergy, his attempts per game have been halved in recent years: Over the first seven seasons of his career, he took 2.8 catch-and-shoot 3s per game, a number that’s fallen to 1.3 per game over the past seven seasons. Harden has even had multiple campaigns when he’s taken under one per game, even though it’s a potent weapon when he’s playing with other stars.
What Harden often does instead is pump-fake and step to the side off the dribble (as you see above). This is a lower-percentage shot. And when he doesn’t do that, he’ll sometimes reset the offense to wait for an on-ball screen so that he can attack.
At least Harden isn’t hanging by the logo when he doesn’t have the ball. But if he won’t cut or relocate, he should at least shoot off the catch when the ball comes his way. After all, he’s great at it.
“I have to iron some things out, watch the film, and get better,” Harden said. “It’s a process with this group, but we have unlimited opportunities.”
3. Westbrook should run the second unit.
In Harden’s first game with the Clippers, Lue had the former Sixer run the second unit, with Powell and Bones Hyland flanking him. This is a fine experiment; Harden scored 15 of his 17 points when Westbrook was on the bench. But if Harden does end up seizing more touches alongside the starters, then that means there will be more plays when Westbrook is a nonfactor behind the arc or both Westbrook and Zubac are ruining spacing by hanging near the rim.
At some point, Westbrook’s style as a downhill attacker could become a better fit with the bench guys than Harden’s methodical approach. Perhaps Russ would find it insulting to come off the bench, especially since he’s performing well overall with the starters. But these are the challenges that Lue will have to manage when the time comes.
“I’m going to make sure everyone’s comfortable and playing to their abilities. It’s going to be tough when you have four guys that are used to having the ball in their hands,” Lue said. “So the sacrifice is there, but we just need to make sure we’re better, and it starts with me making sure we have everyone involved in the game.”
4. Terance Mann should start.
With the injured Mann returning to practice over the weekend, tough decisions are on the horizon for the Clippers. Mann was expected to start before his ankle injury and the Harden trade. Will Lue stick with him?
Mann over Westbrook would provide the Clippers with far superior defense, spot-up shooting, and cutting in a starting unit in need of those role-player qualities. And as mentioned above, Westbrook could be best used by running the bench. But regardless of who starts, Lue should use this early-season stretch to find the best lineup combinations and the best finishing unit.
5. Frontcourt help is needed.
Mason Plumlee was carried off the court Monday following a second-half collision with Julius Randle, which further thins an already shallow frontcourt.
On Monday, Mitchell Robinson had nine offensive boards and 15 total rebounds against the Clippers. Earlier this season, the Clippers gave up 17 offensive boards to the Jazz. Zubac is dealing with back spasms, but he’s not offering enough rim protection or rebounding.
“It’s the same thing that’s been killing us for the last couple of years,” Lue said. “You can’t be the good team when you’re giving up 18 offensive rebounds and then you turn the ball over 22 times. It’s just too hard to win a game.”
Zubac has been outmatched on multiple occasions this season, and now with Plumlee going down, he has no one backing him up. P.J. Tucker gives the Clippers a small-ball option, but that’s most valuable in the playoffs, and at 38 years old, he’s not quite his prime self anyway.
How could the Clippers upgrade their center position and find a better starter than Zubac? In a trade, they can offer only second-round picks in 2024 and 2030 and first-round swaps in 2025, 2027, 2029, and 2030. Could Powell be used as trade bait? Maybe one of the young guys, like Bones or Kobe Brown, could have moderate value. Is that enough to land an offensive-oriented center like Nikola Vucevic or Kelly Olynyk? Or a vertical option like Clint Capela or Daniel Gafford?
Zubac deserves a large chunk of the blame for the Clippers’ interior struggles, but he’s also now flanked by two guards who don’t box out, Harden and Westbrook, and two traditional wings, Leonard and George. They all need to step up.
In the fourth quarter Monday, with the game still in reach, Harden forgot to box out Donte DiVincenzo, who skied over him and Zubac to grab an offensive board before relocating to the corner for a big 3. Harden was nowhere to be found, and Zubac didn’t switch. Mistakes like this can’t happen against good teams, no matter who’s at center:
After the game, every Clippers player was rightfully talking about how it’s a long journey ahead. There’s plenty of time for them to find the right rotations and develop chemistry. It’s only the beginning. But it could also just be the beginning of the end.
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