Clippers forward describes his approach guarding LeBron James and what has changed in recent years: “He’s still Lebron…The dominance and athleticism is different now”
NBA teams have been trying to figure out how to guard LeBron James for the last 20 years. Most have not been that successful, but some have had some success in containing him.
LA Clippers forward Robert Covington, who has been in the league since 2013, said that guarding James has changed over the years.
“He’s still Lebron. …The dominance and athleticism is different now,” Covington said.
The Clippers (6-5) will get to display their strategy game against the Lakers (2-8) on Wednesday night in the second meeting between the two teams this season.
The Clippers defeated the Lakers 103-97 at the Crypto Arena, which they both share, as the away team in the season opener on Oct. 20. James was able to score 20 points and contributed 10 rebounds and six assists. The team held LeBron to a bad shooting night, especially from 3-point range, where he was 2-for-8 (although that 25.0% is still better than his season average: 21.0%).
In their first meeting, Covington only played 14 minutes but should see more time on Wednesday. With star forward Kawhi Leonard not playing, Covington is expected to pick up a few more minutes against LeBron James.
Asked Robert Covington about how guarding LeBron has changed over the course of their careers, and Covington goes into his film-based approach to studying all opponents he’ll guard. https://t.co/PBRxS8SIyA
The LA teams are going in different directions
As long as Los Angeles has had two NBA franchises, there has always been one clear dominant one. The Lakers have all the championships and the long list of Hall of Fame players to their credit. The Clippers historically have not been good.
The Clippers have been good over the past decade but have not broken through to that next level where they are winning championships. The Lakers have been down, finishing with losing records in seven of the past nine seasons. Even with superstars like LeBron James and Anthony Davis coming to the team, they still only found success in the 2019-2020 season, when they won the championship.
The Lakers are watching their season slip away, while the Clippers have won four of their last five games. Without the help of fellow star Kawhi Leonard, Paul George has kept the Clippers afloat.
The Lakers have lost three games in a row. The team did receive some good news that LeBron James (foot injury) will play on Wednesday.
The Lakers will look to get back on track and end their losing streak to the Clippers. The LeBron-led Lakers have not had a lot of success against the Clippers.
Will the Lakers finally end their losing streak vs the 'beatable' Clippers tonight?
Get ready with @AllenSliwa on #LakersTalkDaily on YouTube ▶️