James Harden made his highly anticipated debut for the Los Angeles Clippers yesterday when Kawhi Leonard and Co. went head-to-head against the New York Knicks. Unfortunately, Harden?s debut came in a loss for the Clippers as the roster tried to figure out how to play alongside the former MVP. The Beard had a decent debut performance, scoring 17 points, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds in the loss. But it was Russell Westbrook who was running the show for the Clippers.
Head Coach Tyronn Lue picked Westbrook as the starting point guard for the Clippers despite James Harden being the assist leader last season. After watching the Clippers lose against the Knicks, veteran analyst Skip Bayless blasted Tyronn Lue for displaying trust in Russell Westbrook over James Harden.
Skip Bayless does not like Tyronn Lue?s decision
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Veteran analyst Skip Bayless was unhappy with Tyronn Lue?s decision to start Russell Westbrook as the point guard over James Harden against the Knicks. Bayless expressed his frustration during a segment on his show Undisputed, ?I don?t know why Ty Lue would fixate on we?ve gotta have Russ at the point except to play and cater to Russ? ego so far.? According to Bayless, Tyronn Lue needs to let The Beard run the show for the Clippers as the starting point guard. Harden is one of the best point guards in the league, and he averaged 10.7 assists last season with the Philadelphia 76ers. The former MVP can create open shots for superstars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and take over the game as a scorer when necessary.
Bayless believes Russell Westbrook should be the leader of the Clippers’ second unit and run the offense when the superstars are resting. The Clippers roster is stacked after the acquisition of James Harden, and Tyronn Lue will need to figure out which combination works for them. If Westbrook agrees to take a backseat and let Harden run the show, the Clippers? second unit will also become deadly, being led by Mr. Triple Double.
What went wrong in the Clippers-Knicks game?
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Even though Skip Bayless partially put the blame on Tyronn Lue?s decision to choose Westbrook over Harden for their loss, Westbrook did not have a bad game against the Knicks. The veteran guard matched Harden in points, scoring 17 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. He was also efficient from the floor, making 8 of his 13 shot attempts and going 1 of 3 from the three-point line. So, it is possible that Russell Westbrook was not the reason for the Clippers? loss. However, that cannot be said for their superstar, Paul George. PG had the worst game of his season so far against the Knicks. He scored just 10 points in 34 minutes of play that led to the Clippers being contained under 100 points.
Despite the Clippers losing on James Harden?s debut, Tyronn Lue has nothing to worry about. That was the Clippers? first game with The Beard, and it will take some time for them to figure out the best lineup to put on the floor. PG and Kawhi had an off-scoring night, and that will not be the case on most nights. They have been in elite form this season and helped their team win three of their first six games. The Clippers will only get better going forward as their superstars learn how to play together and share the ball.
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The Los Angeles Clippers will look to bounce back from yesterday?s loss and get back in the winning column in the next game. Kawhi Leonard and Co. will face the Brooklyn Nets tomorrow.
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