The two Los Angeles basketball teams will always be compared to one another, for better and for worse. They have never been more tightly connected than they have been over the past 18 months, when both squads are true championship contenders at the same moment for the first time. That has led to endless debates about which team is better, more likable, more fun, and so on. In 2020, the Lakers seemed to definitively answer that question by winning the NBA championship in dominating fashion, while the Clippers suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Denver Nuggets. However, surprisingly, while the Clippers made their own roster adjustments and brought in a new coaching staff, the Lakers changed their team composition to a greater extent. Here’s a look at how the teams have shifted since the 2020 season, and how their matchups might be affected as a result.
Lakers Additions: Montrezl Harrell, Dennis Schroder, Marc Gasol, Wesley Matthews
Lakers Subtractions: Danny Green, Dwight Howard, JaVale McGee, Rajon Rondo, Avery Bradley
Clippers Additions: Serge Ibaka, Luke Kennard, Nicolas Batum, Ty Lue
Clippers Subtractions: Montrezl Harrell, JaMychal Green, Landry Shamet, Rodney McGruder, Doc Rivers
Interestingly, the Lakers made not just more roster changes, but pursued swaps that shifted the fundamental nature of their roster. Yes, they still have LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and will therefore be a very good team, but their identity has shifted. Last year, they were a team that physically beat up on opponents with size, strength, and length, but relied heavily on James and AD for shot creation. The additions of Gasol, Schroder, and Trez boosted their offense and alternate shot creation abilities significantly, but at the cost of size and physicality on defense. This will presumably help them in the regular season, but might cost them in the playoffs (or maybe it won’t!). Either way, it was a very interesting gamble by the Lakers to try to reduce Bron and AD’s offensive burden at the cost of a clearly championship-caliber team and identity.
The Clippers, on the other hand, despite their disastrous showing in the playoffs, are going into 2021 with the same top 6 players that they closed 2020 with. Sure, they have swapped out guys 7 through 9, and Ibaka and Kennard could certainly play larger roles than Lou Williams and Ivica Zubac in the Clippers’ 2021 campaign, but still, the core of the roster is remarkably similar. Moreover, the fundamental identity of the team is relatively similar – a defense-minded squad that mostly relies on its two superstar wings for shot creation and scoring, with a health dash of scoring guards off the bench mixed in. Instead, the primary ingredient the Clippers are changing in their cocktail is that of head coach, with Ty Lue replacing Doc Rivers. We won’t see how that change will manifest until the season is really underway, but the offense and defense promise to be a bit more fluid and adaptable.
In terms of the direct matchup, the changes on both sides of the roster should make things look quite a bit different. JaMychal Green, probably the Clippers’ best option on LeBron James, is gone, with Serge Ibaka the likely go-to now. The Lakers do have other legitimate offensive threats outside of AD and Bron, with Schroder probably posing the biggest threat. The Clippers don’t have anyone on their roster who is a great option on super quick smaller guards, with Pat Beverley a step slow and George and Kawhi just a bit large and unwieldy. They will all be fine on Schroder, probably, but there will almost certainly be a game or two where he cooks the Clippers.
Conversely, the Lakers of last year did not have many weak points on defense, and now they have two in Schroder and Harrell. Now, it’s quite possible neither of those guys sees many minutes closing out games due to those defensive deficiencies, but still, the Clippers have to attack them while they’re on the court. They know firsthand Harrell’s weaknesses on the glass and in pick and roll coverage and should hammer him in such actions. Schroder is a somewhat feisty defender, but he is simply undersized compared to the Clippers’ wing scorers, and if they can facilitate a switch Schroder probably won’t stand much of a chance.
In other words, I think the Lakers’ offense has become more worrisome, while their defense has softened a little. The Clippers’ own defense should be somewhat sharper with Ibaka replacing Harrell, but there’s no denying that Trez brought a ferocity and paint-scoring acumen that has not been filled. I would expect Clippers-Lakers games to be somewhat higher scoring affairs than last season, but still maintaining the intensity and quality of play that made them enjoyable in 2020.
There’s a lot to look forward to in 2021, but a potential Lakers-Clippers playoff series might still be top of the list for many NBA fans. All of the powerhouse matchups are still present, but now the games will be charged by the added dynamics of the Trez switching teams plot and the context of the 2020 season. The roster adjustments made by both the Lakers and Clippers should make the actual games themselves take on a somewhat different tone than last season, bringing yet another intriguing factor to play. All said, tonight cannot come soon enough.