After 23 minutes on the court, the team lost by 31 points!Now it has become a cancer of the team
On December 22, Beijing time, the Los Angeles Clippers suffered the heaviest loss of the season in a difficult game, and were completely defeated by the Thunder away, ending their nine-game winning streak. The game revealed the biggest challenge the Clippers have faced this season, and that challenge can be traced back in part to earlier decisions in the Harden trade, particularly the Clippers' move to abandon Batum in order to keep Mann.
The Clippers also did their best in the absence of Leonard with several key players in this game. Harden got off to a poor start, but he made quick adjustments, contributing 23 points, nine rebounds, six assists and three steals, which is an average overall performance for the season. Westbrook showed leadership with 15 points, 13 rebounds and four assists, while George and Powell also contributed 22 and 16 points, respectively. These players have all had great performances as the Clippers' consistent Big Four, so blaming them alone is unreasonable.
However, in a loss like this, it doesn't seem fair to blame the core players. The worst performance of the Clippers in this game was a role player, but this player is precisely the core of the team that needs to be focused on developing. Mann was a player who was firmly retained by the Clippers in the previous trade, but gave up Batum and Covington for him, and as a result, he played only 24 minutes in this game, shooting just 25%, scoring five points, one rebound, one assist, and three fouls, with a plus/minus of -31 and losing by 31 points in 23 minutes played. For the team, he seems to be just a burden at the moment.
Mann has failed to live up to expectations on both the defensive and offensive ends, and for the Clippers, keeping him means he has to contribute on the court. However, his performance was clearly not enough to meet the expectations of Tyronn Lue and his team-mates. If he can't make a difference on the defensive and scoring ends, maybe it would be better to give up playing time to Westbrook and Hyland. Willis is known for his fighting attitude, while Hyland is also better than Mann in scoring. Mann's current style of play is a far cry from the rest of the team's core players. He's shooting just 23 from three-point range this season3%, completely exposing his offensive inadequacy. In contrast, his defensive superiority has not been able to mask his shortcomings on the offensive end. In this regard, the decision to start Mann does not look ideal.
The original trade was made out of insistence on Mann, and the Clippers chose to sacrifice the rest of their core forwards, which led to the current situation. If they are willing to let go of Mann, Batum and Covington may both be able to stay, and may even add another scorer to the bench, such as a player like Melton, who may be more capable of scoring.
As a result, Mann is the team's biggest problem at the moment, as the price the Clippers have paid to keep him is too high, and his current performance does not justify the decision. Part of the reason why the Clippers were completely overwhelmed by their opponents at the front line was because Mann and George were barely able to guard against any of their opponents.
What's even more incomprehensible is that the Philadelphia 76ers originally proposed a deal** that included Mann, and if the Clippers had agreed at the time, Harden might have joined before the season. But for now, Mann does become a liability, and he's doing something on the defensive end, but if he can't score on the offensive end, his advantage will be wiped out. When Harden arrived, Mann was an important part of the team, but that is no longer the case. To do better in the playoffs, the Clippers will have to make a mid-season adjustment and consider trading Mann, Tucker and Hyland as trade chips in exchange for a great No. 34 forward and an effective replacement for the card. Only then will they be able to hope for the title.