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The Los Angeles Clippers are now 0-2 since trading for James Harden.
The former MVP arrived in Southern California to solve their playmaking issues, but that hasn’t been the case thus far.
They were only able to put up 93 points against an undermanned Brooklyn Nets team, and once again, their offense was kind of stagnant and lacked movement in key stretches.
With that in mind, sports analyst Skip Bayless suggested that Tyronn Lue shift his starting lineup and demote Russell Westbrook to the second unit.
Clippers had a rough night from 3 (8-36, 22%). PG cold, Kawhi cold, Russ colder. Harden was quietly OK … but the offense isn’t exactly clicking – just 93 points in a loss at Nets. Harden must play PG. Russ must lead the second unit.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) November 9, 2023
While Bayless has always been quite critical of Westbrook’s play, sometimes to a fault, he might be right on point here.
With Harden there, Westbrook has been stuck in a corner, and he’s not a spot-up shooter by any means.
Harden is the best playmaker on the team, and he should give Kawhi Leonard and Paul George plenty of easy buckets, but spacing has been kind of odd with all of them on the court at the same time.
Westbrook has already shown that he can thrive with the second unit, providing a big offensive spark off the bench and plenty of energy.
Harden’s history of ego issues would never allow him to agree to come off the bench, and Westbrook looks like the wisest choice to make a sacrifice there.
The Clippers also need to address their rebounding issues and pursue a physical big man.
And while there’s still a chance they can figure things out together, having Russ with the other group makes more sense.
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