NBA legends Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce spoke about the LA Clippers’ concerning start to the season on a recent episode of KG Certified. Bringing up the examples of the 2008 Boston Celtics and the current Golden State Warriors, the two had multiple pointers as to why things weren’t quite working out for the Clippers thus far.
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Pierce claimed that teams with multiple superstars only work out if they all do different things. However, he pointed out that wasn’t the case with the LA side, which seems to be the root of their problems.
“Like me, you [KG] and Ray [Allen] did different things on the court that’s why it worked…I feel like with the Clippers, they all kinda do the same kind of thing…they get in each other’s way,” Pierce said.
Garnett then claimed that the Clippers had too many ‘ball-dominant’ guys, with the likes of James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russel Westbrook, all looking to have the ball as much as possible.
Pierce further claimed that the situation was such that the Clippers’ superstars almost got in each other’s way. “It’s not like Kawhi is a spot up shooter, and Westbrook is a assist guard attack, and James, you know, they all kind of similar. So if all your players are similar, and you do similar things…how is that gonna work?,” he added, before claiming that the Clippers’ superstars were simply not showing as much hustle as they needed.
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“Did the Clippers give away all their hustle? Listen, that’s all your energy. Batum, Covington, KJ Martin,” Kevin Garnett pointed out as Pierce talked about how the team was missing the energy they lost due to off-season moves. “They need to do that [hustle hard], what they did, but they’re superstars and they are not doing that,” the Truth concluded.
The Clippers have let go of multiple huge leads already this season. They were dominant in the recent victory over the Dallas Mavericks, but have been outhustled by teams regularly. The recent decision to start Westbrook off the bench has only marginally paid off, as the team’s superstars continue to show a worrying lack of chemistry.
The LA Clippers show quality in resolute victory against the Sacramento Kings
The Clippers might have had their downs this season, but have finally shown signs of life in their last game. The recent victory against the Kings was arguably their best performance of the season, with all of their five starters scoring in double digits.
Paul George, Harden, and Leonard combined for 79 points and shared the ball effortlessly the entire game. Terance Mann and Ivica Zubac also added 18 and 14 points respectively in a comfortable 131-117 victory in which they led almost the entire game.
While the offensive talent was always bound to take time to click, the Clippers are still a long way away from being considered worthy contenders. Still, against the Kings, the team looked like they wanted to prove a point, and all of their superstars looked willing to work hard on defense, most notably James Harden, who has especially come under criticism in recent times.
