The 2023-24 Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers are two teams with enormous pressure and expectations on them this season. The Lakers have placed championship expectations upon themselves after a spirited run to the Western Conference Finals. The Clippers are seeking to finally cash in on the championship promise they laid out in 2019 after acquiring Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
The Clippers added more fuel to the in-state rivalry early Tuesday morning when they acquired James Harden from the 76ers in exchange for four players and draft picks. On Wednesday evening, these two teams will meet for the first time in the 2023-24 season in what is shaping up to be the biggest game of the week. The Lakers have lost 11 straight games against the Clippers and are desperate for a win over their in-state rival, while the Clippers look to extend their streak to 12 and keep the momentum going after a decent start to their 2023-24 season.
Likely, James Harden will not be in the lineup tonight for the Clippers but this will not be the final time these two teams meet this season. Today, we are going to compare these two teams based on their roster construction, coaching staff, and advantages over one another based on how the Clippers look after the trade for Harden to crown the real Kings of L.A.
This is the full comparison of the 2023-24 Los Angeles Clippers and the 2023-24 Los Angeles Lakers.
Starting Lineups
Los Angeles Lakers: D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Taurean Prince, LeBron James, Anthony Davis
Los Angeles Clippers: Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Ivica Zubac
Both the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers are boasting star-studded lineups to begin the 2023-24 season. Although we have not seen this particular Clippers lineup yet, it is jam-packed with talent from top to bottom.
The Lakers have gotten off to a slower start than they would have liked, going 2-2 over their first four games. In the offseason, they re-signed D’Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves to big-money deals but thus far, they have had issues holding up their end of the bargain. Russell and Reaves have both struggled with efficiency and turnovers although Russell was huge in a win over Orlando on Monday night.
The real tale of the tape lies with their two stars in the starting lineup, LeBron James and Anthony Davis. This was going to be the year that LeBron James could finally take a step back and slowly hand over the reins of the team to Anthony Davis. Through four games, that has hardly been the case.
Thanks to the slow start from the rest of their starters, and Davis’ inconsistencies, James has had to exceed his ‘’minutes restriction” in each of their four games so far. While still an all-time great and impactful player, it is not a sustainable way to play throughout an entire season at this point to rely on a soon-to-be 39-year-old player.
The backcourt of Russell Westbrook and James Harden is one that we will be seeing for the third time. As opposed to their time in Oklahoma City and Houston together, both Harden and Westbrook are at different stages of their careers. Westbrook has been rejuvenated in his first 24 games since joining the Clippers, looking far more willing to play away from the ball without the need to run the offense. This does wonders for the Clippers lineup and allows Harden to be a ball-dominant playmaker who led the NBA in assists just a year ago.
Paul George and Kawhi Leonard look tremendous to start the season as well with concerns about injuries and load management looming over their heads. They too, will benefit from the arrival of Harden if he remains a willing passer and playmaker who isn’t going to take touches and attempts away from them. Much of how this lineup is going to work relies upon Harden’s mindset in joining the team, and there are concerns about what his goals are individually and on a team level.
Both the Lakers and Clippers have details that need ironing out but as star-studded as their lineups are, something tells me these two teams could be meeting each other in more than just regular season play in 2023-24.
Advantage: Clippers
Bench
Los Angeles Lakers: Rui Hachimura, Gabe Vincent, Christian Wood, J. Hood-Schifino, Jaxson Hayes, Cam Reddish, Max Christie
Los Angeles Clippers: Norman Powell, Bones Hyland, PJ Tucker, Mason Plumlee, Amir Coffey, Kobe Brown, Moussa Diabate
Although they hold a slight advantage over the Lakers when it comes to starting lineups, the purple and gold tilt the scales back in their favor when comparing their bench depth.
One piece to the puzzle that the Lakers have been missing this season is Jarred Vanderbilt. As he nurses an injury, the Lakers have been backed up off their bench with Christian Wood and Rui Hachimura producing the most through four games. Hachimura has played three of those games averaging 8.0 points and 3.0 rebounds per game while Wood is averaging 8.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in 19.3 minutes. Each of them also provides a superior defensive element for the Lakers that Powell and Hyland do not for the Clippers.
The Lakers also have scorers and shooters that can get hot at any moment like Gabe Vincent who proved that during the 2023 playoffs with the Miami Heat. His season has started off rather slow, but I expect that to work itself out as the season progresses. As far as the depth of the bench goes, the Clippers have some work to do after depleting theirs to acquire James Harden.
It should be seen as a serious win for the Clippers that they were able to hold onto Norm Powell, Bones Hyland, and Terance Mann in the Harden trade. Powell and Hyland have been tremendous through three games for the Clippers off the bench. Hyland is putting up early Sixth Man of the Year numbers with 15.7 points per game on 51.4 % shooting while Powell is averaging 13.7 points per game on 51.9% shooting. They have emerged as the Clippers’ two best options from their bench, and although very productive early on, it still falls short compared to what the Lakers counter with.
The Lakers have the depth and talent off their bench to overtake and gain the upper hand over the Clippers.
Advantage: Lakers
Darvin Ham vs. Tyronn Lue
The coaching matchup between these two teams comes down to a veteran championship coach and another going into his second season still working out the kinks of a new lineup.
Things have been a bit rocky for Darvin Ham despite a run to the Western Conference Finals last season. The use of his depth and rotational decision have been called into question on numerous occasions. There seems to be a disconnect between Ham and his claim that LeBron James will be on a minutes restriction this season. There also seems to be a disconnect between Ham and his decisions regarding his use of bench players such as Cam Reddish seeing more time on the court underperforming than using a promising young player such as Max Christie or J. Hood-Schifino.
Tyronn Lue was certainly thrown a curveball with the acquisition of Harden so early in the season but it is not the first one he has seen, nor will it be the first one he hits out of the park. On numerous occasions, we have seen Lue able to adapt to adversity and the absence of key players. Now, he is handed another superstar along with the three he was already armed with and is asked to make a championship run out of it. If anyone can manage egos and lineup adjustments, it is Tyron Luue who is poised to compete for Coach of the Year honors if he leads this team to a successful season.
Ham is a coach who led his team to the Western Conference Finals just last season and I am willing to make the leash a bit longer on him for the time being. However, the Clippers have the more proven and superior mastermind behind their schemes and playcalling, giving them another advantage heading into tonight’s matchup.
Advantage: Clippers
Los Angeles Lakers Advantages
Make no mistake about it, this could be the meeting where the Lakers break the streak that has loomed large over them for the better part of the last three seasons. The duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis will be the driving force behind the streak being broken if it is to happen. Anthony Davis is coming off a dominant 26 points and 19 rebounds against the Orlando Magic which could be just what he needs to kickstart this important season.
As for LeBron, well, he is LeBron James, and some matchups mean more to him at this point in his career than others. The Clippers matchup certainly meets that criteria. As we all know from decades of watching, a determined and focused LeBron is the most dangerous version of him so the Clippers would be smart not to provide any more bulletin board material heading into this pivotal game.
Another monster advantage the Lakers will have over the Clippers is their depth. Due to the Harden trade, the Clippers only have eight or nine players who will be seeing time on the floor tonight if they’re lucky. The Lakers will have a full rotation of well-rested starters and reserves to counter that. Also, the size of the Lakers’ depth will prove to be an issue so if Darvin Ham is the coach we think he is, we should see a lot of Christian Wood and Jaxson Hayes tonight on the court for the Lakers.
Los Angeles Clippers Advantages
As noted above, the Los Angeles Clippers have been dominant in their play against the Lakers over the last few seasons with 11 straight wins heading into tonight. The streak of wins even dates back to when Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were missing extensive amounts of time on the court due to injuries. The psychological effect of that cannot be underestimated heading into their first matchup of 2023-24, especially with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George healthy and expected to be in the lineup. Believe it or not, bragging rights and pride are big elements for these players.
Aside from the mental aspect of this matchup, the abundance of talent up and down this Clippers roster should have the Lakers worried about this matchup. Russell Westbrook is going to be highly motivated to get a win over the team that threw him under the bus for so long while making him a scapegoat for their failure during the last two seasons. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are two of the best two-way players in the game. Ivica Zubac is as underrated as they come as well and a statement performance against Anthony Davis could put him on a tremendous trajectory for the season.
Who Is The Better Team Right Now: The Lakers or The Clippers With James Harden?
Both the Lakers and the Clippers have starting lineups, bench depth, and coaches that make them two of the top teams in the Western Conference for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.
The Lakers have a clear advantage over the Clippers when it comes to the depth of their roster off the bench and otherwise. They have one of the best duos in the NBA with LeBron James and Anthony Davis as well as the length and size advantage overall. The Lakers are also a team with a bunch of new pieces added this offseason still getting used to their system such as Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Christian Wood, and Jaxson Hayes. When they get rolling and hit their stride as a unit around the middle of the season, this Lakers team as a whole will be tough to beat.
At first glance, the amount of overall talent the Clippers roster has after the Harden trade is almost overwhelming. Between a resurrected Russell Westbrook, healthy Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and now James Harden, they have a former Finals MVP, two former MVPs, and one of the best two-way players in today’s game in their starting lineup.
The question for the Clippers will be how the organization chooses to fill out the rest of their bench with spots opening up after the departures of Nic Batum, Robert Covington, Marcus Morris, and Kenyon Martin Jr. Bones Hyland and Norm Powell provide plenty of scoring and offensive production but questions remain about their second unit’s defensive capabilities.
As the season progresses, I do expect the Clippers to pull away from the Lakers in the standings ever so slightly when the season is all said and done. I am relying on the health of George and Leonard when making this prediction as well as the continued play of Russell Westbrook being a willing passer and playing off the ball.
I am also relying on James Harden to be a 20.0 points per game scorer and elite playmaker as he has been over the last three seasons in the other stops of his career. Harden is still a premier player in the NBA and his addition to the Clippers, in my mind at least, gives them the upper hand in this comparison with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Who Will Win This Matchup Tonight Between The Lakers And The Clippers?
According to Clippers coach Tyronn Lue, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are both uncertain for tonight’s game against the Lakers. Given the fact that this matchup comes on the heels of a back-to-back and their history of injury and load management, it is more than likely that Leonard and George will miss tonight’s game. James Harden and PJ Tucker cannot make their debut until next week at Madison Square Garden, leaving the Clippers extremely short-handed in tonight’s matchup.
With that being said, the Clippers’ most likely starting lineup will include Russell Westbrook, Bones Hyland, Norm Powell, Moussa Diabate, and Ivica Zubac. This is going to be a small-ball lineup for the Clippers led By Westbrook with Powell and Hyland as his main offensive options. If Leonard and George are indeed out, this lineup would have to pull off a huge upset to beat the well-rested Lakers.
The Lakers are coming into this matchup after a day off, able to rest and recover for tonight’s game which is a huge plus for them, especially LeBron James and Anthony Davis. This will be the perfect opportunity for the Lakers to defeat the Clippers for the first time in 11 straight games dating back to December 20, 2020, nearly three years.
All the stars have aligned for the Lakers to finally get back in the win column against the Clippers. However, we have seen this story unfold before and the Clippers take down the Lakers with a depleted roster. The Lakers mustn’t overlook their opponent and get off to a fast start, finding a rhythm for the rest of the game that will lead them to victory.
Prediction: Lakers vs. Clippers 123-109
