After 941 days and two full seasons, the Golden State Warriors once once more welcomed home striker Klay Thompson back to the battlefield, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers and then ranking first in the Western Conference. Looking back at 2019, the star was injured and fell to the ground in the championship game, and then Kevin Durant chose to go to the Nets. It took the Warriors two years to jump from the bottom of the valley to win the championship once more.
Before this season, not many people were optimistic that the Warriors might stand among the top one or two in the Western Conference. The Warriors depended not only on Stephen Curry’s good performance, but also on the support of Andrew Wiggins, Jordan Poole, Gary Payton II and other members than in 2020. All performances are made with sufficient preparation, which means that the waiting for the past two years has not been in vain, and a series of trading and development are as good as textbooks.
The Los Angeles Clippers on the other side of the West End also lacked Kawhi Leonard this season. The team was in an embarrassing idle period. Although it was not as miserable as the Warriors in the 2019-20 season, good news came out. Yahoo Sport reporter Chris Haynes revealed that Kawhi Leonard has recovered. The progress is advanced. In recent weeks, the intensity and quantity of training have gradually increased. It is expected to return to the team this season. However, at the same time, Paul George’s return time due to a right elbow injury is unknown. The rest of the injured list is also a long list. The ninth place is the end of the playoff team. It is very likely that Leonard will return to the team at the end of the season, but the team will not make the playoffs in the end.
Give up the trivial dream of champions for the time being! Are the Clippers ready for this season of squatting?
※Establish the core framework
When faced with the fact that Durant decided to go to the Nets in 2019, the Warriors’ decision was to retain the original core Curry, Thompson and Draymond Green, using these three as the reconstruction skeleton, and seizing the opportunity of trading with the Nets to obtain D’Angelo Russell, and later moved to Wiggins, who was more suitable for pairing with the wave brothers. Paired with the veteran Kevon Looney who is still in the formation, today’s game allows fans to see a new generation of “complete” warriors. Some are different, but still strong.
In the face of an idling season, the Warriors’ first decision was to “decide on the skeleton”. They did not choose to trade or retrain. As a comparison, the Clippers’ skeleton is more clear and clear. Leonard did not choose to leave like Durant, and following the renewal, he confirmed that he and George would be able to fight for at least four more years. Secondly, the core of the playoffs including Marcus Morris Sr., Nicolas Batum, Terance Mann, Reggie Jackson, etc. have not changed. The Clippers have a higher chance of maintaining the same playoff strength as in 2021 next season.
However, two years have also produced different changes. For example, under the contemporary style where small balls, outside lines, and mobility have become prominent, Ivica Zubac’s growth has stagnated, and it is difficult to be regarded as the main battle center. Serge Ibaka is facing aging. Similar lineups play, I am afraid the strength is also very different. In addition to turning Leonard into a panacea for offense and defense, it is inevitable to face a wave of lineup adjustments. Just like the Warriors finally found Wiggins, the Clippers have more chips in their hands, and the idle time is one year shorter than the Warriors. But who will be the best partner of Leonard and George? It seems that there are still variables.
The Warriors grasped Durant’s salary opportunity to leave the team to nourish Russell as a human bargaining chip, and the Clippers also have some opportunities for change. For example, if Eric Bledsoe was added to the pre-season transaction, it may become a negative asset as a combat power. However, the 20 million salary on the book will only protect 4 million next year. This will be a major tool to help digest the salary. Second, this season will be worthwhile. Luke Kennard and newcomer Brandon Boston Jr. will be the next wave of possible opportunities for reinforcement.
※Digging for new green leaves
In the NBA where the salary is moving towards the M-type, the reasonable price of Luye can sometimes be very embarrassing. It is no problem for a top 3D shooter to exceed 20 million in the market, but sometimes it can dig into the basic salary market to have 60 to 70% of the players. On the one hand, the team pursues stars, but also has to ensure that they continue to replenish cheap and easy-to-use players to reduce the burden of reinforcement. In addition to self-cultivation through the G League, rebuilding the season is often the best opportunity to dig treasure.
For Warriors fans, the worst part of the 2019-20 season is not just Thompson’s absence, but also Curry’s reimbursement following five games, instantly transforming into a tank team. Although it is like a roller coaster, it is also a good time for the Warriors to dig treasures. For example, Damion Lee, Jordan Poole and Juan Toscano-Anderson have gradually gained a firm foothold in the NBA since this year. They are all receiving rookie contracts or basic salaries. But it is an important rotation that the Warriors rely on.
When the team does not set the goal of the season to win the championship, there will be more room to try newcomers. The Clippers also adopted a similar approach at the beginning of the season. They did not renew their contracts with veterans such as Patrick Patterson, DeMarcus Cousins, Yogi Ferrell and so on. The famous draft rookie signed a contract and found Isaiah Hartenstein through the warm-up match, with a pace similar to that of the Warriors.
This season, two low-complete rookies, Boston Jr. and Keon Johnson, were selected in one breath. After a series of major injuries, they have gradually emerged, especially since the former has stabilized and has more than 10 minutes of playing time. The speedboat that has a crazy feel to solve the poor attack, the latter is just the opposite, the defensive performance is outstanding, and the offense needs to be tempered.
The biggest surprise is Hartenstein. Inherent hardware conditions are not as good as Zubac, but he has the highest net efficiency value of the Clippers team. Passing vision, cutting in, and struggling to become the fan’s favorite member. Also joining the competition is Amir Coffey, who has been raising a two-way contract for 3 years. Today, he scored 21 points in the game once morest the Grizzlies, which is the masterpiece of this season. It is 6 feet 7 inches and has good jumping ability. As long as it can steadily increase the three-point shooting rate, it is beneficial for the speedboat to continue to stock up the striker sea. On the list of players, the Clippers have trading chips, rookies and green leaves. Although they are not the top cards in the flush level, they are not bad.
※Idling is not just waiting
In May of last year, the teams struggled for the final playoffs. The Warriors lost only one of the 9 games. They pulled off until the playoffs and lost to the Grizzlies before they were officially eliminated, although we would attribute it to Curry for paying the MVP rating. Don’t forget to experience the bottom of the season. The Warriors are not particularly famous players other than Curry, Green, and Wiggins. They were able to reach 39 wins at the end of the season when they had only 23 wins and 27 losses in early April. 33.
Even if the offensive firepower is not as good as before and the offensive efficiency is only 11th, the Warriors have the league’s first defensive efficiency this season. Even if Thompson does not come back, we can still be sure that they have the capital to compete for the championship this season. The divisional championships are just low bids. The Warriors had already jumped hundreds of times before this. They were skilled and the members had a tacit understanding with each other. They just waited for the cannon Thompson to reappear. They are ready.
The Clippers have better players. It is not unreasonable to expect George to show off at the end of the season, but are these players ready? After losing to the Grizzlies last week, he tasted three consecutive losses and five consecutive home losses. Obviously, the team started to have some depression. Batum bluntly said, “We really lose in the same way every time. The fans don’t like the current game.” Jackson seemed weak, bluntly saying that the team was too short and continued to be defeated on offensive rebounds. Head coach Ty Lue said that players need more collisions, not a problem of lineup or basketball IQ.
The Clippers lacked not only Leonard and George, but also more details beyond the lineup list. Possesses the league’s fourth-highest defensive efficiency rating, but has recently suffered from defensive rebounds, averaging 12.1 offensive rebounds per game, which is the league’s worst performance, replaced by a second offense of 14.6 points, fifth worst in the league, and they can’t control it. With 14.7 turnovers per game, he ranked 22nd. Halfway through the season, the Clippers still haven’t found a solution to all the problems of the current team.
Further reading:After Paul George fell, how will the Los Angeles Clippers welcome 2022?
