Although both the LA Lakers and LA Clippers have rarely seen eye to eye, but they’ll have the same agenda once the 2022-23 NBA season rolls by. After suffering through miserable seasons, revenge and championship glory will push both LA squads in the ensuing months.
Sure, winning it all is important but bragging rights in the city of LA ranks high on their respective lists as well. For the better part of the past 10 years, the Clippers have become a respectable bunch. No longer are they trotting out tenuous lineups, filled with no-hoppers in an attempt to collect more ping pong balls at the end of the year.
With a healthy Kawhi Leonard standing beside his All-Star teammate Paul George, have the Clippers officially leapfrogged the Lakers as the team to beat? With little changes expected with either team’s starting lineup, we’ve taken a deep dive into which squad has the advantage when the ball gets rolling in the first game of the year.
Both starting fives feature a ton of star power.
Countless All-Star selections, numerous NBA titles, and several enshrinements into the Hall of Fame are expected when it’s all said and done. Still, superlatives aside, which LA team has the better starting lineup? Let’s dive into it
Reggie Jackson
2021-22 season stats: 16.8 ppg, 4.8 apg, 3.6 rpg
Discarded and left on the side of the road in Detroit, Reggie Jackson has found his game in LA. With Kawhi Leonard forced to miss the entire season as he tended to a torn ACL, Jackson proved that he was more than capable of shouldering a bigger load on the offensive end.
Throughout the course of the season, Jackson dropped 16.8 points per game while dishing out 4.8 assists on a nightly basis. Yet, despite the stellar numbers, Jackson struggled once he was thrust into the spotlight, finishing the year with a field goal percentage of just 39.2%.
Ultimately, Jackson’s role on the Clippers will take a considerable hit next season. The proliferation of healthy bodies will take the ball out of Jackson’s hands for long stretches, rendering him obsolete at times. Jackson will undoubtedly hold a salient role with the Clippers, but he’ll be forced to take a back seat.
Russell Westbrook
2021-22 season stats: 18.5 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 7.1 apg
The trumpets and bells that were used to coronate Russell Westbrook’s arrival in LA quickly turned to relentless boo’s from Lakers fans.
Once viewed as a nightly triple-double threat and explosive offensive option, Westbrook struggled to mesh with his new teammates on the floor. However, much of Westbrook’s maligned turnovers and poor shot selection were overblown.
Westbrook’s season averages of 44.4% from the field and 29.8% from the 3-point line, fell right on par with his career averages. Throughout his Hall of Fame bound career, Westbrook has shot 43.8% from the field and 30.5% from behind the arc. His scoring numbers, on the other hand, took a drastic hit. The multiple-time All-Star’s 18.5 points per game were his lowest since his second season in the league.
Regardless of his dwindling scoring production, Westbrook still played hard on a nightly basis, resulting in 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists.
The high-flying acrobatics that Westbrook has built his career on are long gone. But, even while grounded, the 33-year-old fills the stat sheets like no other.
Verdict: Lakers
The consistent chastisement of Westbrook’s play was well deserved but let’s not get carried away here. Even with his numbers steadily declining, Jackson has never produced the sort of stat line that Westbrook did last season.
Currently, it appears as though the Lakers are willing to give Westbrook another try. Clippers fans can laugh and heckle him all they want, Westbrook is still far and away a much better player than Reggie Jackson.
Malik Monk
2021-22 season stats: 13.8 ppg, 39.1 3p%
Malik Monk waited patiently next to the phone during the 2021 offseason. The explosive guard showed flashes of brilliance during his time in Charlotte but was mostly given the cold shoulder once he became a free agent.
As Monk began feeling a whirlwind of emotions, he reluctantly accepted a paltry deal to play with the Lakers. Now, after putting up career highs across the board, Lakers fans are desperate to bring him back into the fold.
In just a shade over 28.1 minutes per game, Monk frustrated defenders with his ability to bomb from distance, nailing 39.1% of his 3-point attempts, and score effortlessly on the inside, connecting on 56.8% of his 2-point shots.
Defensively, the wiry guard is still a liability. On pick and roll coverages, Monk often finds himself the target of bigger and more physical offensive players. To his credit, Monk fought tooth and nail on that side of the ball, resulting in 1.4 defensive win shares, a career best. Monk, at the age of 24, must be priority number one for a Lakers squad that is bereft of quality shooters and shot creators.
Paul George
2021-22 season stats: 24.3 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 5.7 apg
Still viewed as one of the more standout two-way players in the entire NBA, George has thrived since arriving in LA three years ago. With averages consisting of 22.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.8 assists – there isn’t much George can’t do on the court.
In the absence of Leonard, George stepped into his role as LA’s de-facto leader. Not known as loquacious, George allowed his play to do the talking for him. In what turned into an injury-hit year, George averaged 24.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.7 assists.
Although George has been forced to play second fiddle over the past four seasons to players such as Leonard and Russell Westbrook, the multiple-time All-Star is more than capable of carrying a group of talented players on a deep playoff run. Blessed with a smooth jumper, both from behind the arc and midrange, George is a nightmare to stop in half-court sets.
On the break, George is lethal, bombing from 3-point land or swooping to the hoop while finishing over much bigger players. George, by all accounts, is every bit a superstar in this league.
Verdict: Clippers
This one is a one-sided no-brainer. Monk has unquestionably upped his standings in NBA circles following his breakout season but George is one of the best two-way players in all of basketball. He’ll also don a gold Hall of Fame jacket when it’s all said and done.
Kawhi Leonard
2020-21 season stats: 24.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 5.2 apg
At his peak, Kawhi Leonard is a unique and one-of-a-kind ball player. The 6’7” 225-pound wing buries smaller defenders in the post with his strength and physicality as he makes his way to the rim. While he’s proven to be a knock-down shooter from distance, nailing 38.4% of his 3-point bombs for his career, Leonard is a master of the in-between game. At no point during Leonard’s career has he shot less than 50% from inside the line.
Also, unlike most, Leonard is a lockdown defender, constantly taking the opposing team’s best player out of the game. With two Defensive Player of the Year awards tucked safely underneath his arm, Leonard has matched up against players who are quick on their feet such as Ja Morant, and physically imposing players such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, without batting an eye.
Leonard is the total package on both ends of the floor and provided he bounces back from his torn ACL, he should return as one of the game’s best two-way forces.
LeBron James
2021-22 season stats: 30.3 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 6.2 apg
At 25-years-old, wait, sorry, 37-years-old, LeBron James has a ton left in his gas tank. This past season, in year 19, James was mere fractions away from leading the league in scoring, finishing out the year in second place with 30.3 points a night.
Efficiency has always been the name of LeBron’s game and he continued to punish defenders in all facets of the game. Still, despite shooting 52.4% from the field and in spite of his free throw percentage reaching 75.6%, the fifth highest of his career, James isn’t able to control the pace of a game for long stretches like he once could.
For the second time in four seasons, a LeBron James led team failed to make the postseason. A seething James watched this year’s playoffs from the couch, vowing to never miss out on the chase to win an NBA title for the remainder of his career.
Defensively, with nearly 20 years of NBA basketball logged onto his weary legs, James isn’t the defender he once was. In fact, James is more or less a liability. His 2.3 defensive win shares this past season marked a career low. while still great, James has to pick his spots on the floor to maximize his impact.
Verdict: Lakers
Kawhi Leonard brazenly sauntered into LeBron’s LA stomping grounds. His actions, from the very beginning, were clear. The former two-time Defensive Player of the Year was determined to violently rip LeBron’s crown away from him. However, that has yet to happen.
With back-to-back second-round flameouts during his time in LA, paired with the uncertainty of how his game will look following one full year on the sidelines, and we have no choice but to give LeBron the edge. Despite his age and regardless of the Lakers’ shortcomings this past season, LeBron is still a top three player in the game today…bar none.
Marcus Morris Sr.
2021-22 season stats: 15.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 2.1 apg
Admittedly, Marcus Morris Sr. is a bit undersized for the power forward position. On most nights, the former 2011 first-round draft pick struggles with defending much larger foes on the block, often depending on the assistance of his teammates.
Without question a defensive liability, Morris makes up for his shortcomings on that end of the floor with his ability to knock down the long ball. At 15.4 points per game through 54 games last season, Morris is an above-average scorer with a penchant for hitting big-time shots. He doesn’t contribute in many other areas on the floor, having averaged just 4.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists but it’s Morris’s scoring that makes him a valued member of the Clippers’ starting lineup.
Anthony Davis
2021-22 season stats: 23.2 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 2.3 bpg
The Los Angeles Lakers are always in search of their next star. Franchise mainstays such as Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul Jabbar, and Wilt Chamberlain were all pilfered from other franchises. In the case of Anthony Davis, it was much of the same.
Fans of the franchise couldn’t believe their eyes once the acquisition of Davis became official before the start of the 2019-20 season. Davis, of course, was just as advertised in his first year. He went on to average 26.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks for a Lakers squad that won it all in the Orlando bubble.
Since nabbing a championship in his first year, however, Davis hasn’t seemed to want it anymore. This past season, Davis’s overall numbers were stellar – averaging 23.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks. Still, his overall impact simply wasn’t the same. To further back that claim, Davis’s 2.6 offensive win shares this past season were the second lowest of his career. His meager 2.0 defensive win shares were the worst of his career.
If the Lakers expect to return to championship glory, they’ll need more from Davis next season and going forward.
Verdict: Lakers
This one truly isn’t even close. Chastise Anthony Davis all you want, he’s far and away the superior player to Marcus Morris Sr. on every level. The Clippers’ current starting power forward struggles defensively but provides nice offensive upside. Davis, on the other hand, is a menace on both sides of the ball.
Although he appears indifferent at times, Davis remains an All-Star level player who can singlehandedly carry a franchise to a postseason berth. Let’s not overthink this one.
Dwight Howard
2021-2022 season stats: 6.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 61.2 fg%
In all likelihood, Dwight Howard won’t be returning to the Los Angeles Lakers next season. The sometimes controversial big man played a salient role on their championship roster in 2020 but this past season, Howard provided little to nothing on most nights.
Unlike in years past, Howard is no longer the focal point of an NBA offense. On most occasions, his buckets come from a variety of hustle plays, clean-ups around the basket, and lobs.
At the age of 36, Howard has shown no interest in hanging up his sneaks. On the contrary, he believes that he has more to offer to the game and wants to return to the purple and gold next year. Bereft of any true big men, there’s a chance that LA could bring Howard back into the fold. Although his meager averages of 6.2 points per game and 5.9 rebounds leave much to be desired, Howard is still a hard-nosed defender, capable of banging down low.
Ivica Zubac
2021-22 season stats: 10.3 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 62.6 fg%
Although losing Kawhi Leonard for the entire season to a torn ACL was disheartening and watching Paul George on the sidelines for 51 games as he dealt with torn ligaments in his elbow was depressing, for Ivica Zubac, he saw it as an opportunity.
With more offensive and defensive responsibilities on his plate, Zubac shinned. Through 74 games this past season, Zubac averaged career highs across the board including points, 10.3, and rebounds, 8.5.
Not the quickest of foot, Zubac has an underrated back-to-the-back game. The 7’0” 240-pounder was a load on the block and scored almost every time he touched the ball, shooting 62.6% from the field.
Next season, Zubac won’t be afforded the same opportunities but when his number is called, he’s shown that he’s more than capable of providing the Clippers with top-notch production in the paint.
Verdict: Clippers
If this discussion had taken place roughly 10 years ago, it would be laughable. At the time, Howard was essentially the best big man in the league. An absolute load on the block and immovable once he planted his feet. At this stage in his career, Howard is a spot starter, incapable of giving a team much offense but will have his moments on the defensive side of the ball.
Presently, Zubac is the better all-around player. When given the opportunity, Zubac has the ability to score against various defenders in the paint while doing so at an extremely high-efficiency clip.
Final word:
Overall, the Lakers just edged ahead, finishing with a final tally of 3-2. Still, that doesn’t mean the Lakers have the better starting five. Sure, the Lakers have the sexier and more attractive names but the pieces on the Clippers roster fit together seamlessly.
We’ll make sure to check the tally on this one again once free agency kicks off and if either team makes any major changes.