2:00 a.m. on Tuesday, the whole NBA world was shaken up when it was revealed the Los Angeles Clippers had made a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers for superstar guard James Harden in a package that revolved around seven players. This was the first trade of the NBA season and an extremely substantial one that a lot of people anticipated, as Harden was disgruntled with Philadelphia GM Daryl Morey for not offering him a contract extension and had asked out with the Clippers as his preferred destination.  LA gave up little for Harden, trading role players Nic Batum, Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, and KJ Martin, with a future first and second-round pick, in return for Harden, and veteran forward PJ Tucker. Many who follow the NBA think the Clippers trading for Harden, and pairing him with Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and Russell Westbrook gives the Clippers one of the best teams in the league and makes them the favorites this year, but is it really that simple?

The Clippers play in the stacked Western Conference, which features last year’s reigning champions the Denver Nuggets, and many other powerhouses such as the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, Pheonix Suns, New Orleans Pelicans, Minnesota Timberwolves, Sacramento Kings, and Dallas Mavericks. The West is the far better conference this year compared to the East, who only have the Boston Celtics. Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, and Philadelphia 76ers are seen as legitimate threats this season, and if the Clippers want to make a deep playoff run, all these players will need to figure out how to play together and avoid any injuries that they have struggled with in the past few years.

The Clippers have been in the playoff picture the last three seasons, and for every single one of them, Kawhi Leonard did not play or missed significant time and the Clips ended up falling short. In Game four of the Western Conference Semifinals in 2021, Leonard was injured after being fouled by Jazz forward Joe Ingles and missed the rest of the series with a knee sprain. It was later announced that Leonard had an ACL tear, and missed the rest of the postseason, including the Western Conference finals that the Clippers lost vs the Pheonix Suns. Leonard then proceeded to miss the entire 2021 to 2022 season, and the Clippers were eliminated in the play in tournament after finishing in 7th place, and never got to play a playoff game that season. Paul George also missed over half of that season with an elbow injury but returned to in time to play in the play in games. George then tested positive for COVID-19 before the second playoff game and was ruled out as the Clippers fell to the New Orleans Pelicans. In 2022 to 2023, which was Westbrooks first year on the team after being released by the Lakers mid-season, George was injured with 3 weeks to go in the season, with a right knee sprain, and ended up not making it back. Leonard however, stayed healthy throughout the season, and played the first 2 games of their first round series against the Pheonix Suns averaging 34 points, six rebounds, and six assists, but was then injured with a torn meniscus as the Clippers lost the series despite a valiant effort from Westbrook.

I think a big part of the Clippers acquiring Harden is as much as they see the former MVP as a luxury piece to what they already have, he can be insurance to mask another Leonard or George injury and get them through another run. Harden, Westbrook, and George have all never won in NBA championship, although Harden and Westbrook lost in the Finals in 2012 while playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder together, so the drive for each of them to get a championship will be great, and I believe they will make sacrifices in their games to fit together. Also, they are playing with a leader in Leonard, who is a two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP in 2014 and 2019 with San Antonio and Toronto respectively, who understands how to get a team to a championship and is a prime performer in the playoffs when healthy. However, all 4 of these players are prolific scorers and offensive players, and there is only one basketball, so to get to their end goal of a championship, they have to learn how to share the ball and play the correct roles, without letting egos collide. This job will fall on Head Coach Tyronn Lue, a veteran coach who led Cleveland to a championship in 2015, will need to understand the right lineups for all these players to fit together, even if it means bringing certain players off the bench. If the Clippers can master this, there is no team in the NBA that can match their talent, which includes other players such as Norman Powell, Ivica Zubac, Terrance Mann, Bones Hyland, and PJ Tucker.

While the Clippers have the most talent in the league, the Denver Nuggets are the reigning champions and have the most chemistry, led by two-time MVP and last year’s Finals MVP, Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets are one of the most if not the most selfless teams in the NBA, and the ability to find their teammates for an open shot and shoot the ball with confidence when needed will be a tough task for the Clippers and one they will ultimately have to get through if they want to win. Right now I would choose the Clippers to lose a seven game series to the Nuggets, because the Clippers don’t have the same chemistry and connection as the Nuggets, although we are five games into the season so it is hard to tell what they will evolve into. If the Clippers can stay healthy and adapt the same selfless and connected manner with the stars they have, I believe they are the more talented team, but we will have to see how they end up fitting together.  I also think the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors, and Pheonix Suns all pose great threats with their star-studded lineups, although the Suns are struggling to stay healthy early into the young season. Led by all-time greats like Lebron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant respectively, these teams will pose just as big a threat as the Nuggets, even though they aren’t as deep or connected as Denver. The Clippers will show they can beat each of these teams as well if they want to be considered on that stage of a title contender, something that will be very tough to do.

As of right now, my Western Conference power rankings would be:

1. Denver Nuggets
2. Los Angeles Clippers
3. Los Angeles Lakers
4. Golden State Warriors
5. Pheonix Suns
6. Dallas Mavericks
7. New Orleans Pelicans
8. Sacramento Kings
9. Oklahoma City Thunder
10. Minnesota Timberwolves
11. Utah Jazz
12. Memphis Grizzlies
13. San Antonio Spurs
14. Portland Trail Blazers
15. Houston Rockets

A lot can change from now until April when the playoffs start but based on the first five games that’s how I would rank everyone. My overall favorite would be the only 5-0 team in the NBA, the Boston Celtics who look absolutely phenomenal and like the best team in the league. If the Clippers win the West the Celtics would be a whole extra step to get through if they make the Finals and would be a very tough task to beat. Based off talent alone I think the Clippers have the best team in the league, but all these players need to show the fit works and then sky is the limit.