Usually, it’s fairly easy for the Nuggets to decide on one opposing player per game that Kentavious Caldwell-Pope can mark as his primary matchup as a defender.
The Clippers, throughout 2023-24, are going to be more complicated.
With their recent trade with Philadelphia for 2018 MVP James Harden, the Clippers doubled down on their style of heavy isolation offense by adding a fourth 2010s mega-star.
With Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles has 32 combined All-Star appearances, two league MVPs and a two-time NBA Finals MVP. It’s a murderer’s row of the previous decade’s best, a fearsome lineup on paper that hasn’t lived up to high expectations in the early stages.
Entering Denver for an in-season tournament game Tuesday night, the Clippers were 0-4 in the Harden era.
“You knew James was gonna go somewhere,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said, referring to Harden’s very public trade request and ensuing standoff with the 76ers. “Obviously, with what was going on in Philly, you knew that (team) was destined to be broken up. And then you heard all along that Clippers were the team. So I can’t say that anybody was surprised by that.”
Malone went on to say that he’s more worried about his own team than how the Clippers will mesh together, but added “it’s just a matter of time before they figure it out.” He acknowledged the extreme amount of iso-ball his defenders need to be prepared for in Los Angeles matchups throughout this season.
“Sitting down, guarding, having great discipline,” Malone said. “But also showing a crowd behind that. And when the shot goes up, we have to give them one shot.”
Caldwell-Pope is generally the leading man when it comes to Denver’s defensive duties, but the key for him is being prepared for the on-ball tendencies and attacking styles of all four players, not just Leonard or Harden.
“Transition, you don’t have a man, so whoever’s closest. We do do a lot of one through four switching, so at some point I’m gonna end up on all four of them,” Caldwell-Pope said.
The Nuggets aren’t a team that’s eager to badmouth any opponent, but still, neither Caldwell-Pope nor Malone was convinced that the winless start with Harden was a sign of doom and gloom for Los Angeles.
“Probably the greatest scorer of this generation,” Malone called Harden. “And then Russell Westbrook, who impacts the game in so many different ways, and Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. That is a lot of talent. And (Clippers coach) Ty Lue has the unenviable task of trying to figure it out on the fly without having a training camp, and I’m sure they don’t have a lot of practice time, like most teams don’t. Ty’s a great coach. They have a lot of great talent. They’re veterans. I’m sure they’ll figure it out. I just hope it’s not tonight.”
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