The LA Clippers have been forced to make some major changes as of late. After falling to 0-5 in the James Harden era, a new strategy had to be implemented in order for things to finally turn around.
That new strategy came in the form of Russell Westbrook volunteering to come off the bench, in order to let Harden build more consistency with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in the starting lineup. So far, his move is already producing positive results, as the Clippers picked up their first win in nearly three weeks on Friday night against the Rockets.
Starting in place of Westbrook in LA's win was Terance Mann, who ended up being a non-factor when it came to scoring, but played his role to a tee to help the Clippers pick up a win. In deciding who to start, Head Coach Tyronn Lue revealed that his decision was ultimately between Mann and P.J. Tucker.
Tyronn Lue said he and the Clippers were deciding between Terance Mann and PJ Tucker to start in place of Russell Westbrook.
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) November 18, 2023
Tyronn Lue was deciding between starting Terance Mann or P.J. Tucker
Lue told reporters that he ended up deciding to start Terance Mann instead of P.J. Tucker due to Mann's capability at defending point guards. Whereas Tucker is more equipped to guard wings and big men, Lue knew that Mann would bring more of what was needed to the starting lineup.
It is safe to say that Lue's experiment was a big success after one game. During Mann's minutes in the first half, the Clippers outscored the Rockets by eight points, whereas LA was outscored by Houston by a margin of 18 points in the time Tucker was on the floor in the first half.
The cherry on top was that this all led to James Harden's game-winning four-point play in the fourth quarter. It is still early, but the Clippers may have found something that works for them with this new starting lineup.