With both the LA Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers forming superstar tandems, the best duo match-ups of 2019 will take place in Staples Center.
The LA Clippers have been having a pretty successful offseason, one would say. With the quiet acquisitions of Kahwi Leonard and Paul George, Clipper fans are hopeful that this is the franchise’s year. However, the rival LA Lakers also made their own moves, acquiring Anthony Davis in a blockbuster trade with the Pelicans. Regardless of the outcome, Los Angeles will be having one of the best duels we’ve ever seen with Kawhi and PG versus LeBron and AD.
The talk of free agency this year was the fate of Leonard, with three teams being in the talks; Clippers, Lakers, and Raptors. With so much publicity coming from his decision, many were certain he would choose the Lakers to be with LeBron and AD while others assumed he would go back to Toronto. In the end, the Clippers front office made quiet moves in order to not only get Kawhi but bring in a second star, George.
As James returns to Staples Center with the Lakers, it is no surprise that he was going to be the powerhouse of the team. He expects to be fully healthy entering the season. In 2018, for the first time in his career, we saw him miss an extended amount of time, only playing 55 games. With that being said, even in those 55 games, he was unstoppable. He averaged 27.4 points, 8.3 assists, and shot 51 percent from the field.
With LeBron playing the least amount of games in his career in 2018, we can expect him to be better than ever this season, but the Lakers needed more reassurance. The center and power forward Davis gets added into the mix, which makes for an impressive duo. Prone to injury, he only played 56 games last season with the Pelicans. Injured or not, there is no hiding his talent. When healthy, AD has proven to be one of the best two-way players in the NBA.
With LeBron and AD teaming up, it looked as if they would be the most talked about duo in the city of Los Angeles. That quickly changed.
The signing of Leonard, the 2019 Finals MVP, brought the Clippers the star power that they needed. His presence will not only bring more opportunities for the team, but it will allow the rest of the team to shine.
Coming off an injury in 2017, Kawhi played only 60 games this past season in order to prevent further injury. 60 games were enough to show the nation just how powerful he is. He shot 50 percent from the field while averaging 26.6 points. He matched those of LeBron and AD, but the special and arguably most valuable asset to his game is his defense. He’s been Defensive Player of the Year twice, as well as a member of the NBA All-Defensive team five times. Not only does Leonard impact the game on the offensive side, but he also does it on the defensive side as well.
On top of the Clippers shocking everyone with the acquisition of Kawhi, they pulled off one of the more crazy trades in recent NBA history, acquiring George from the Thunder. He averaged 28 points in 77 games with the Thunder last season while grabbing 8.2 rebounds a game. Known for his defense as well, this now gives the Clippers arguably the two best two-way players in the game.
The Clippers have built a foundation with the rest of the players on the team who can each vouch for themselves with their skillset. This will only make the duo of Kawhi and PG outnumber their opponents more. The Lakers have been very busy in signing several players like Danny Green and DeMarcus Cousins, with the hopes of forming a deep team like the Clippers have.