Patrick Beverley: ‘The Clippers are the best team in Los Angeles’

While the Los Angeles Lakers probably want a rivalry with the Golden State Warriors, their true peer might be the Los Angeles Clippers.

The NBA landscape changed when LeBron James decided to move to the Western Conference. After years of struggling, the Los Angeles Lakers have returned to relevancy after their free agent acquisition, but have they overtaken the Los Angeles Clippers in their own city?

The Lakers have won the battle of the headlines, but Patrick Beverley of the Clippers still says his side is the best team in L.A.

Beverley discussed made his statement to Tomer Azarley of Clutch Points:

The Clippers still trail the Lakers in terms of fan support and headlines, but they have had the better record for the last six seasons. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to see Beverley be outspoken on this subject, as he has never been a player that has lacked confidence.

So let’s look at some of the merits of his claim. First of all the Clippers finished with seven wins more than the Lakers last season. They lost DeAndre Jordan, but replaced him with a quality center in Marcin Gortat.

The Clippers didn’t make a major splash in free agency and will likely be banking on internal growth to help them move up the Western Conference standings.

Beverley missed 71 games last season and likely believes that his presence will help improve his squad. In addition to that, Danilo Gallinari, Milos Teodosic and Avery Bradley all missed significant time.

What the Clippers lack in free agent pickups they can make up for with their two lottery picks from the 2018 NBA Draft. Both Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson will add depth to L.A.’s roster and help insulate them in the event that they face a similar number of injuries.

At the very least, the Clippers will have a more established core and hierarchy than the Lakers heading into next season. There has been far less roster turnover this summer and that continuity could help the team get off to a better start than their Staples Center roommate.

However the smart money still probably is on the Lakers to finish with the better record next season. While they did lose two of their better players last year in Julius Randle and Brook Lopez, they added the best player in the league in LeBron James.

Beyond the addition of LeBron, the other factor is the competitive spirit he is likely going to bring to the Lakers. Even if the Clippers are the better team on opening night, it’s unlikely that LeBron will allow that to continue for very long.

The Cleveland Cavaliers started 19-20 in LeBron’s first year back with the team, and then they made moves that helped them reach the 2015 NBA Finals.

It’s fair to assume that while LeBron may not be expecting a championship this season, if moves are required to make the playoffs or finish above the Clippers he will do whatever is necessary on and off the court.

Time will tell with whether or not Beverley is correct with his statement. The Clippers are loaded with good, but not great players. While the Lakers appear to be a flawed roster that’s banking on being lifted up by the greatest player of his generation.

The Clippers aren’t the California rival that the Lakers had in mind when they put this team together. However if the playground rules of “pick on somebody your own size” are in effect, then the statement by Patrick Beverley is not out of bounds.