The NBA regular season is more than halfway through, and the overall situation in the West is gradually becoming clear. The Thunder stands alone in the top tier, basically securing the first place in the Western Conference for the regular season, with teams behind unable to catch up. From the Rockets to the Clippers, the overall records are not too different, and the Rockets face a tough challenge in their remaining schedule. The Nuggets and Grizzlies have been relatively stable, while the Clippers, with Harden leading the team to at least sixth place, have added Leonard, which, according to Su Qun, would make them a Western Conference Finals-level team and one of the favorites to win the championship if the playoffs started immediately. In comparison, teams like the Lakers, Mavericks, and Timberwolves are less competitive; the Lakers lack defense and Davis is disengaged; the Mavericks miss Doncic; and the Timberwolves' competitiveness has significantly declined due to Towns' departure.
These are basically the playoff teams in the West. As for the Suns and Warriors further back, even if they make the playoffs, they don't have much room for improvement; the Warriors lack a ball-handler; the Suns only have Durant and Booker as single-shot options. ESPN conducted a summary of the first half of the season and voted on the most surprising team in the West. According to a columnist, the Clippers' performance has made everyone reevaluate the team. From being predicted to finish 13th in the West at the beginning of the season to being firmly in fifth place at halftime, an anonymous NBA scout said that because the Clippers have Harden, he can dominate the game in various ways. So what is the Clippers' ceiling this season? It all comes down to Leonard. They are first in defense and net efficiency in the league, and he has been underrated.
With Van Gundy's arrival, the Clippers have become one of the strongest defensive teams in the league this season, with a defensive efficiency of 107.3 (second in the league), second in points scored off turnovers, and third in defensive rebound rate, average steals, and opponent three-point shooting percentage! Harden has emphasized from the start of the season that defense is the foundation of the team, and he practices what he preaches. This season, Harden's defensive efficiency is 106.6, higher than the team average, with 1.4 steals per game (19th in the league) and 2.6 deflections per game (26th in the league). The value Harden brings to the team is to enable all his teammates to perform at 120% efficiency. As Harden himself says, even if there's a turnover, he'll pass it to his teammate when they're in position; the turnover is on him, but he won't let his teammate down.
Harden sets the floor, and Leonard is the key to determining the ceiling. Since Leonard's return, he has played 5 games, with the Clippers winning 4 and losing 1. Leonard's average of 13.6 points may seem mediocre, but in two games against the Nets and Lakers, he played a total of 48 minutes, making 17 of 24 shots for a combined 42 points. Especially against the Lakers, he made 9 of 13 shots, with Harden assisting on 5 of the 9 baskets! Moreover, Leonard's advanced efficiency is terrifyingly high: offensive efficiency of 123.3 (fourth in the league), defensive efficiency of 93.9 (first in the league), and a net efficiency rating of +29.4, still first in the league. It must be said that Leonard has only played 5 games, so the sample size is small. But this also shows how formidable the complete Clippers can be!
On two fronts, a healthy Leonard was once hailed as the best player in the league when he led the Raptors to a buzzer-beater against the 76ers, came back from a 0-2 deficit against the Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals to win four straight games, and dismantled the Warriors dynasty in the Finals. However, in the past few years with the Clippers, Leonard has suffered many injuries, and George is not suitable for Leonard. George's inefficient isolation plays, inconsistent playoff performances, and even his role overlap with Leonard have forced Leonard to take on more of a defensive sacrifice role at the 4 position. This season, with defensive helpers like Derrick Jones, Dunn, and Coffey, and the possibility of trades by the Clippers to send away Tucker and Mann in exchange for blue-collar players like Rob Williams or Boucher.
Secondly, last season, Harden could not fully utilize his ball-handling core attributes due to the presence of George and Westbrook. Sometimes, he even had to stand in the corner to accommodate Westbrook or George. But this season, Harden has no such concerns. In the game against the Lakers, Harden's passes to Leonard were so precise that neither the opponents nor other teammates could see them coming. The speed, placement, and timing of the passes were impeccable! Although Harden leads the league in turnovers this season, when his teammates are able to bloom under his orchestration, the strong team cohesion atmosphere is hard for other teams to match. Leonard's offensive pressure is reduced, waiting for Harden's passes and then finishing them off at will.
A healthy Leonard is still a top-five superstar in the league, and there are very few stars who can compare to him in the playoffs. However, due to injury, Leonard's star ranking has dropped to beyond 20th, and he has been seriously underrated. Harden, on the other hand, has transitioned from explosive scoring in Houston to feeling helpless in Brooklyn and Philadelphia, and now serves as the true brain of the Clippers, perfectly complementing Leonard's role. Leonard only needs to average a dozen points in the regular season, as the playoffs are his stage. Harden's average of 21 points and 8 assists is enough to keep the team in the top six in the West, with Zubac transformed into O'Neal and Powell matching George's offensive output as the best helpers. Looking at the young teams ahead in the West, Leonard can finally lead the team to another championship run!
