Seeing this iteration of the LA Clippers for the first time on Thursday night, Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry was asked about the Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden trio following the game.
“A lot of talent,” Curry said. “A lot of guys that can create, can score, have been the man on respective teams throughout the years. All three of them probably certified Hall-of-Famers, so you’ve gotta respect their individual talent and the fact that any given possession, somebody can make a play. You can’t get deflated if they make a spectacular play or a tough shot, because that’s what they all do. And they present a challenge, so have to be really locked in – five-man defense. I know they’re still figuring each other out, and it’s hard to see what they’re going to look like in the next 20 games, next 40 games, however that plays out, but they’re tough. And you’ve got to be locked in.”
While the Clippers do have a lot of individual talent, this has not translated to many wins since the Harden trade, as LA is just 5-8 in his 13 games this season. The Clippers have found some encouraging lineup combinations, but are still tweaking rotations on a nightly basis to find groups that work consistently well together. That has resulted in some bad losses to shorthanded teams, including one to the Warriors on Thursday.
The Clippers know this will be a process, but it’s one they hope to figure out sooner than later, especially with their current record being so poor.
