NBA: The Clippers and Lakers will be battling for playoff seeding and potentially could see each other in the playoffs. It is very difficult to say which team is favorite but there are some advantages that the Los Angeles Lakers have over the Los Angeles Clippers, according to LA Sports Hub.
The Lakers’ superstar duo is superior
During recent years, the big teams tended to have big twos rather than big threes.
But when it comes to these big twos, the Lakers might have the best duo in the league. LeBron James is a top-three player in NBA history while Anthony Davis is an MVP and Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Kawhi Leonard is also in that top-five but Paul George is not in this category yet. The Clippers do have the defense advantage with the superstar duo as LeBron is no longer an above-average defender. But when it comes to all-around talent, the Lakers have the edge.
The Lakers are much more reliable
To extend of that superstar duo argument, the Los Angeles Lakers are not only more talented but are much more reliable than the Clippers.
Paul George is coming off two shoulder surgeries with his expected return in November. George has not been the most reliable in terms of his health, and more importantly, has not shown up in the playoffs since those battles with LeBron in Indiana. LeBron battled a groin injury last year and Davis was rested to maintain his trade value, but LeBron has been a beacon of consistency his entire career.
The Lakers' roster is better
The rotations for the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers could succeed in different circumstances. There is a hierarchy of players, but the Lakers’ players are better in term of quantity, which is important in the regular season. The Clippers have a better seven-man rotation than the Lakers, but past that, the Lakers are significantly better than the Clippers.
When the Los Angeles Lakers traded for Anthony Davis in June, the expectations for the franchise went through the roof. Winning next year’s championship is no longer out of reach, but instead has become a goal that’s suddenly within their grasp.
The Lakers have Kyle Kuzma, Dwight Howard, Avery Bradley, Danny Green and a number of excellent players to complement the superstar tandem of James and Davis. They also retained JaVale McGee, Rajon Rondo, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Alex Caruso. The team will have to improve its defense but with two talented defenders like Danny Green and Avery Bradley, it will be easier. Green was an All-NBA Defense Second-team selection in 2017. Like Davis, he has the ability to defend multiple spots.
"On paper, the Lakers have the strongest team. It's not difficult playing with LeBron. You have to change your game. There are a lot of dynamics that you have to get used to playing with him. But, it's better than not playing with him. He's a great player" said Chris Bosh who played for the Miami Heat alongside James and Dwyane Wade from 2010 to 2014.
LeBron James has something to prove
A year ago, LeBron James took his talents to Venice Beach to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. We knew that, in all likelihood, they wouldn’t win the championship right away, and LeBron did not play in the playoffs. That was a surprise. But now the team possesses a strong, well-balanced roster that is being picked by some to be the favorites to win the 2020 NBA title, or least one of the favorites to do so.
Even better, LeBron is in the midst of a six-month offseason, as opposed to the 2.5-month offseason he had the previous eight years after playing in the NBA Finals each of those seasons
We can be sure that he will do everything to show he is still the King and that he is able to win a fourth ring with a new team. It's a motivation that will help the team and players like Davis to win a title. With the roster he has, he can maybe rest a bit more than the last years to be in great form when the money time comes. He will have to dominate Los Angeles first though.