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Lakers vs. Clippers: Who has the edge at each position?

By Rucker Haringey

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 22: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers controls possession of the ball in front of LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers late in the fourth quarter in a 112-102 Clipper win during the LA Clippers season home opener at Staples Center on October 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 22: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers controls possession of the ball in front of LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers late in the fourth quarter in a 112-102 Clipper win during the LA Clippers season home opener at Staples Center on October 22, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 05: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers drives the ball during the third quarter against the Denver Nuggets in Game Two of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on September 05, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. /

Small Forward

Both teams are blessed with world-class options on the wing. The Clippers will deploy Kawhi Leonard at the three during the majority of his regular-season minutes. Look for him to bounce back after a poor ending to last season in The Bubble.

Classifying who the Lakers play at the small forward position is tricky. LeBron James handles the ball like a point guard, but he generally guards small forwards. For the purposes of this exercise, James is the player the Lakers will start on the wing.

The Clippers will back Leonard up with Morris and Luke Kennard. The Lakers will support James with Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Wesley Matthews. The backups aren’t overly important here. Leonard and James will both be on the floor whenever the stakes are high.

Leonard is still one of the best 10 players in the league, but James is still arguably the top player in the entire Association when he’s locked in. He’s a trump card for the Lakers whenever they can’t find an answer elsewhere. Leonard is talented enough to defeat James on occasion, but LeBron is going to win the majority of their individual battles. That’s enough to give the Lakers a clear advantage at the small forward position.

Edge: LeBron James gives the Lakers the win

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