The Western Conference has undergone earth-shaking changes. Last season's championship team, the Mavericks, is no longer as sharp. The Timberwolves, which ranked first in defensive efficiency last season, are no longer brave. Instead, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Warriors have r

2024-12-12 23:22:03 entertainment 8506℃

The Western Division has undergone earth-shaking changes. Last season's championship team Mavericks are no longer sharp. Last season's top defensive efficiency team Timberwolves are no longer brave. Instead, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Warriors is on the rise, even , the Lakers, and have reached the top four in the Western Conference. It is not certain who can break out of the Western Conference in the new season. The Los Angeles Clippers have been striving to win the championship since they started playing 20 years ago. At first, they formed a four-man team of Leonard + George + Lou Williams + Beverley, but they ended in failure and were overturned by the Nuggets 1 to 3. . Later, they introduced a number of powerful stars such as Westbrook and Harden, but they still failed to win the championship and accidents always happened.

In the new season, Leonard directly announced that he could not play due to injury. Harden was appointed to become the team leader when the crisis was critical, and Powell became the team's second child.

Although Harden no longer has the ability to lead the team as he did during the Rockets period, he still stands out, averaging 20.5 points + 8.7 assists + 7.3 rebounds + 1.5 steals + 0.8 blocks per game. Although his shooting percentage is only 37.2%, he faces The defense is different from the past. All the opponent's perimeter defensive resources are directed at Harden, and the shooting rate will definitely be low. We shouldn't criticize Harden too much, because he came to the Clippers to be the third player, but he became the boss by playing tricks. George ran away and Leonard was injured again. Who do you blame?

Harden has given it all. His step-back three-pointers this season are particularly accurate, and his ball-handling skills have improved. His singles effect seems to remind me of him during the Rockets period. Harden has been more determined in his offense this season, shooting whenever he can. This style of play is very different from the Nets era. He is first a scorer and then a passer. Harden attracted a lot of defensive resources, so that Powell played extremely efficiently. The latter averaged 23.3 points + 1.1 steals per game, averaged 3.9 three-pointers per game, and the three-point shooting rate was as high as 48.7%. Next, let's dissect Powell in detail to see how strong he is this season.

Powell is an all-around scorer. He doesn't know how to connect the team, let alone do the dirty work. Coach Tyronn Lue's requirement for him is to score like crazy and let his teammates do the rest. Facts have proved that Powell completed his task perfectly. His three-pointers with the ball are particularly accurate, especially after the pick-and-roll with Zubac. You don't know whether he is going to break out or shoot. Powell's breakthrough speed is very fast. He can get past his opponents in one step, and he can also use rhythm changes to confuse his opponents. After getting inside, he can score in various ways. What's more, Powell's defense is also online. He is an out-and-out muscular man with strong individual defense skills and a good awareness of cooperating with teammates to complete defense. So much so that the Clippers' current defensive efficiency is 107.3, fifth in the league.

Zubac has entered the peak period of his career. He averages 15.6 points + 12.4 rebounds + 1.1 blocks per game, and his shooting percentage is as high as 60.1%. He has strong pie-eating ability, low-post singles skills, and quick footsteps. Particularly solid, with a height of 2.13 meters and a weight of 108 kilograms. Zubac's scoring explosiveness is not as good as Embiid , and his golf intelligence is not as good as Jokic's, but he has done his best within the scope of his responsibilities and executed Tyronne. This is enough for the tasks assigned by coach Lu. Zubac's defensive level has improved a lot. He can defend attackers like Jokic and Davis in the low post. His footsteps are also more flexible when defending on the outside and are not easily shaken away. All in all, I think Zubac is an indispensable member of the Clippers and a veteran.

Jones is a high-quality 3D who can plug and play on any team he goes to. After leaving the Mavericks, the quality of the Mavericks' perimeter defense has been directly reduced by one level, while the Clippers have improved it by one level. He can share the defensive pressure of Harden and Powell, has very flexible footsteps and rich defensive skills. In addition, he With a strong willingness to defend, he is a quasi-best defensive player, and his three-point shooting rate reached 43.3%.

Kofi's defense is also very good. The Clippers' defensive system is developed around Zubac. He can always communicate with his teammates, lead the defense from the backcourt to the frontcourt, and can often force the attacker to make mistakes. to promote a counterattack.

The Clippers are really playing with a bad hand now. Entering the playoffs is not a big problem, but it is more difficult to achieve success in the playoffs. After all, the star Leonard is suffering from injuries. If you sign a three-year, US$152 million contract, you won't be able to play well. The Clippers are really miserable. If the eldest brother doesn't work hard, the second and third eldest children will become the weak ones. If Leonard continues to perform like this, the Clippers will be disbanded sooner or later. I also hope that she can return as soon as possible to help the Clippers get out of trouble.