NBA regular season, the Clippers lost 98-116 to the Thunder. The Clippers were leading in the first half of the game, but under the huge defensive pressure from the Thunder in the third quarter, their offense and defense collapsed, ultimately leading to the loss. After the game, the Clippers faced two joys and one concern.
The first piece of good news is that Coffey has been performing exceptionally well during this period, almost continuously exploding. He scored a season-high 26 points with 10 out of 14 shots, including 6 out of 8 three-pointers. Even without Harden, he was still able to control the game, which is a comforting point. Looking at it now, he is sufficient as Leonard's substitute. After all, his scoring ability is outstanding, and if traded, it would not be a good choice. He has already demonstrated first-round value. However, his ball-handling and passing skills are not great, but his shooting is definitely not a problem.
In addition, the bench players have recovered their form. Porter Jr. and Bamba led the team to an advantage in the first quarter, and without Harden, Porter Jr. can still lead the team. It was just in the third quarter that he got carried away, which has always been his weakness. However, Bamba can still provide stable output, with a very high shooting rate of 5 out of 6. Miller and K. Jones also had good shooting percentages, and Batum remains a solid base, serving as a versatile player. If the bench can maintain this level of play, the Clippers' strength will remain strong in the future.
However, after the departure of Harden, Powell's performance completely collapsed. In fact, his role on the Clippers is defined as a finisher. Previously, with Harden around, he could pass to Powell and also create opportunities for him. But once Harden was gone, Powell couldn't do anything on the court. After all, his ball-handling skills are not great. He did score some points by dribbling before, but that was because there was no defensive pressure. Now that opponents are giving him the treatment of a core player, he simply can't dribble effectively. In the entire game, Powell only made 1 out of 11 shots, and in these two games, Powell combined for 6 out of 29 shots with a shooting percentage of 21%, making only 1 out of 15 three-point attempts. He is just a system player. Without Harden, this team has completely lost its offensive rhythm.