Opening Night Takeaways: Kawhi Leonard Is The Leader Of Another Deep Championship Favorite

LOS ANGELES - Tuesday night's season opener followed the same theme separating Los Angeles's basketball culture. One team has the panache and vast majority of the fandom. The other couldn't care less about the recognition, even if their on-court production warrants more of it. The Lakers and Clippers took the floor in what some expected to be a divided arena, but that notion was put to rest in a hurry once the sea of gold arrived. While the most vociferous support was in favor of the Lakers, it was the less-popular but better-equipped unit heading home with a 112-102 victory.

Kawhi Leonard, standing at mid-court with a halfway excited look on his face, addressed the crowd moments before tip-off. In any other instance, a reigning champion and Finals MVP walking into his new playground, especially one he grew up near, would evoke thunderous cheers and a huge stamp of approval.

Leonard already knew the reality of playing inside Staples Center, but those 15 seconds reminded him and everyone else that it would always be the Lakers' homecourt advantage. When Leonard was introduced, the boos reverberated throughout the arena, drowning out the Clippers fans that were trying to give him a warm welcome.

Once the action was underway, one thing was abundantly clear. The Lakers were trying to plant their flag inside Staples. After having six-plus months off from games that matter, LeBron James and Anthony Davis wanted to issue a warning (a real warning, not a preseason one) of how assertive they could be as the most physically imposing duo in the league. They would never be concerned about losing a chunk of their fandom to the Clippers side, but it was more important for the purple and gold to have positive returns to begin this season. The Lakers, with a brand new supporting cast and new coaching staff, have a lot more unknowns in the equation. The Clippers, meanwhile, are carrying over the same play style and mentality, with their new superstar additions fitting directly into that culture.

For the first four minutes of the game, it appeared James and Davis found an optimal way to abuse the Clippers. They jumped out to a 13-2 lead with a lot of their offensive creation coming in the form of post-ups - when the two Lakers' superstars weren't finishing at the rim after using their size to get easy looks, they were forcing the Clippers to help in the paint. For a passer of James's caliber, that's all he needs if he's posting up a smaller player and using his vision to read the weak side.

The Lakers finished 20 possessions with a post-up, according to Synergy, which was 18.5% of their offensive arsenal. For perspective, the Spurs tallied 13.3 post-up possessions per game last year and it led the league (12.2% of their offense).

It's a weird dynamic for Frank Vogel and how he wants his starting unit to play. For as emphatic as they were in training camp about playing up-tempo and using the James-Davis combo as a transition threat, that's not really going to be the case if they continue to play this way. Their first fastbreak points didn't come until mid-way through the third quarter. Amazingly, the Lakers averaged 15.6 seconds per offensive possession in the loss. The slowest team in the league last season took 15.5 seconds off the clock, on average, before taking a shot.

While the post-ups were effective, leading to 1.25 points per possession in the opener, it took them away from the best halfcourt actions they could run with Davis on the floor - utilizing him as a screener that can force a lot of pressure on the help defenders when he gets a runway to the basket.

The Clippers, following their various mantras, took the early first-quarter punch and recuperated nicely on the back of Leonard. After missing his first two shots, Leonard responded with seven straight buckets to get them out of the hole. He carried the same impact and character as he always shows, a stoic machine uncaring of the glamour and flair. He did most of his work through the mid-range, shooting 6-of-10 on those jumpers off isolation and pick-and-roll.

Leonard's surge, which sparked his 30-point evening on 64% true shooting, caught the attention of head coach Doc Rivers for how dialed in his new superstar always seems to look. Rivers has been around Tracy McGrady, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Chris Paul, and Blake Griffin in his coaching career. McGrady is the closest in terms of scoring versatility, but the strength that Leonard leverages against his defenders - specifically on drives - gives him an edge as a go-to scorer in those dire moments.

"It was a great sign of leadership in a lot of ways," Rivers said. "He created the run for us, and everyone else joined in. That's what he does, he talks with his game. I think that's the way it should be."

Leonard did turn the ball over six times, but it was apparent how often he was trying to make a play for his teammates versus absorbing all of the usage himself. He's never been a high-turnover player, so perhaps the positive takeaway should matter more in the early stages of the season. Without Paul George, who will likely be out until mid-November, it's up to Leonard to orchestrate, feed the bigs with his underrated passing, and make the advanced reads any top-flight scorer needs to have in their back pocket. He's going to face a swarm of defenders until George arrives, and that's going to unlock more of his playmaking. That will often be the case when he shares the floor with the Clippers' two bench leaders, Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell.

"It's funny, you can see that him and Kawhi are about 10% at learning how to play with each other," Rivers said. "There were so many opportunities they couldn't see yet where they could play off of each other. You can see that area - the Kawhi-Lou-Montrezl action is going to get way better. It has to. That's a good thing for us."

Speaking of the second unit, the swing factor of this "Battle of L.A." on Tuesday (and in the future meetings) hinges on the bench production. Coming into the season, the Lakers' bench was touted as a deep unit by most people. I had my reservations about their shooting success, even when Kyle Kuzma returns from injury.

The Clippers used the first game to show precisely why they're the deeper team with proven contributors. What makes them dangerous is that while it's only October, they're about as polished as any bench can be - they have guys filling specific roles, knowing their limits, and spot-up shooting that can work beautifully around the primary ball-handlers. In Tuesday's win, the Clippers' bench contributors scored more than triple the points of the Lakers' bench.

Additionally, one of those shooters off the bench, Mo Harkless, has the defensive acumen and a five-plus year reputation of being a menace for perimeter scorers.

Harkless played nearly 30 minutes off the bench, hitting two triples and forcing a lot of Laker mistakes. His four steals and two blocks helped the Clippers generate full transition and semi-transition opportunities. Harkless was often attacking the passing lanes when LeBron tried to start his handoff action. He also found himself battling in the post when he got positioned against Davis. To have the ability to handle wing scorers and take a beating in the middle while successfully getting stops, it illustrated why he was so necessary for Portland in the past. It also speaks to his willingness to do the undesirable defensive work; if you can remember in the past, Paul George was not in favor of matching up against bigger and stronger fours in Indiana.

"He's a hell of a defender," Rivers said. "He got deflections, he guarded multiple positions, which allowed us to switch a lot. I thought the four-spot in general, all three of those guys contributed for us. And that's big."

Leonard, who just spent a year with another 6'9" switchable weapon in Pascal Siakam, is going from one hard-working teammate to another. Harkless doesn't have nearly the same explosion and transition brilliance when the Clippers get those stops, but any time Leonard-Harkless-George are on the court together this season will be a nightmare for pass-heavy teams. One wrong mistake and it'll be a wrecking ball going the other way.

"(Harkless) played well, I told him 'great defense' tonight," Leonard said. "He also played with confidence on the offensive end, knocking down his shots and getting out in transition early. He was guarding both of their premier players, and he played well. Just being long, making them shoot over the top of him."

Overreactions to opening night - or week for that matter - are never something you want to fall into. There are still 175 days left in the season. A lot of things can change, for better or worse. But right out of the gate, behind Leonard's lead-by-example approach and the impressive support off the bench, the Clippers have the identity and makeup of a championship favorite.

They will get to integrate another top-10 player into the rotation shortly. That should be one fun experiment for Rivers.