The NBA regular season is nearing its halfway point, and the Western Conference standings are becoming clearer. The Thunder have a stable first place with a 13-game winning streak, pulling ahead of the Grizzlies and Rockets. The second-tier teams, the Rockets and Grizzlies, maintain a win rate above 65%, making the top four in the West relatively secure. The Mavericks have seen their record drop due to Luka Doncic's injury, similar to the Suns at the start of the season, where the absence of key players makes it difficult to win games. In the third-tier group, the Suns are gradually falling behind, but from the tenth-place Spurs to the fourth-place Nuggets, there is only a 2.5-game difference, with intense competition among them. Despite being one of the least favored teams by American media, the Clippers have started the season with a solid 19-15 record.
Firstly, after more than two months of recovery from injury, Leonard is finally set to return. However, his comeback raises questions about whether it will disrupt the team's established chemistry. Let's look at the first phase of fan voting for this season's All-Star Weekend. In the Western Conference frontcourt rankings, Jokic (1.42 million votes), Durant (1.27 million votes), and James (1.17 million votes) dominate the top three spots. In the backcourt, the top two are Alexander (1.05 million votes) and Doncic (0.87 million votes), with Curry ranking third with 0.81 million votes. This essentially determines the Western Conference All-Star starting lineup. Among the most anticipated Clippers players, Harden ranks sixth in the Western Conference backcourt with 0.31 million votes, while Powell ranks tenth.
Over the past month, as Powell consistently averaged nearly 25 points per game, he became somewhat overconfident, stating that his goal for the season is to make the All-Star team, hoping for more recognition and respect. There were even instances where Harden, to help Powell score, chose to give up shot attempts himself at certain times. For example, against the Jazz, Harden scored 41 points, but in the third quarter, he focused on feeding Powell the ball, which could have led to a 50+ point performance! Similarly, in the game against the Pelicans, Harden had a good shooting night with 27 points, but in the fourth quarter, he primarily looked for Powell. It's not that Harden was hesitant to shoot; he wanted to fulfill Powell's All-Star dream! Powell has repeatedly expressed that playing alongside Harden is easy, and scoring is even easier than expected.
However, there is a question to consider: what happens when Leonard returns? Leonard is unlikely to want to play the four position or do so less frequently. Last season, he already expressed reluctance to engage in more physical confrontations at the four, which made it difficult for him to sustain his body for long periods. If Leonard moves to the three position, Powell would either play the two or come off the bench. However, in terms of on-court impact and effectiveness, Harden needs a player who can help defensively, and Dunn's defensive performance far exceeds Powell's! Therefore, upon Leonard's return, it is likely that he will also have to make sacrifices and concessions for Powell before the All-Star break: allowing Powell to start while he plays the four. However, from a long-term perspective, the lineup of Harden, Dunn, Leonard, Little Derrick Jones, and Zubac is more balanced.
Interestingly, Harden has missed only two games this season: one in early December against the Rockets and another in early January against the Pelicans. According to the Clippers' team reporter, this was to test Powell's ability to lead the team independently, with unlimited shooting rights. Embarrassingly, against the Rockets, Powell shot 5-for-18 for only 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists, performing worse than Porter Jr. and Zubac, yet this was considered quite good! Facing the league's top defense, the Thunder, Powell played 28 minutes, shooting 1-for-11 for just 6 points, with 6 turnovers and 4 fouls, even losing his composure on the court after repeated turnovers, resulting in an offside foul. On the contrary, Coffey had a stable offensive and defensive performance. Los Angeles media bluntly stated that Powell's performance does not qualify him for the All-Star team.
Simply put, everyone can maximize their potential playing alongside Harden. As Tyronn Lue puts it, in this league, LeBron James and James Harden are both core players capable of making their teammates and coaches rich. Harden faces the highest percentage of double teams in the league this season, leads the league in isolation scoring, and must also juggle playmaking, controlling the game's rhythm, and improving defensively, leading the Clippers to maintain an efficiency close to 60%. Could any other superstar in the league bring this team to such heights? Harden is indeed trying to fulfill Powell's All-Star aspirations, but frankly, Powell is like a severely downgraded version of Paul George, lacking George's defense, despite similar offensive capabilities.
However, the big premise is that when they average around 24 points, it's because Harden is helping them draw fire! Looking at George's performance this season after leaving the Clippers for the 76ers, averaging 16 points with 42% and 33% shooting percentages, Philadelphia media say the management was deceived. Isn't this obvious enough? In my opinion, Powell should not be like George, but rather stay grounded and play the role of an impact player alongside Harden. The All-Star Game is not something at his level to aspire to; he should strive to earn a bigger contract by playing well alongside Harden! There are no peaceful times; someone is carrying the burden for you.
