ENEMY LINES

AN OPPOSING SCOUT SIZES UP THE DIVISION

THE LAKERS ARE swinging for the fences. Russell Westbrook is a boom-or-bust deal. The argument for it would be you get as much star power as you can, then you figure out the rest. Lebron clearly wanted Westbrook. I would’ve rather had Buddy Hield . . . . The thing I thought that was underrated with the Suns was they won a lot of games at the end of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth because they had guys who could score a little, and then they surrounded them with guys who could shoot and defend . . . . Chris Paul plays to his strengths about as well as any guy in the league. In the Finals, the Bucks pressured the s--- out of him and wore him down. I thought that was a really good strategy . . . . Andrew Wiggins took a step forward, turned into a pretty good defender, but offensively he is not high-level. Draymond Green needs shooting around him. If he doesn’t have it, he's a guy that you do not have to guard on the perimeter at all . . . . I love De’aaron Fox’s talent. But he doesn’t bring it every night. The big question for the Kings is, are they going to have the worst defense in history? . . . . With Kawhi Leonard out [with a torn ACL], the Clippers will still be a good shooting team, but where will they get some of their playmaking? Reggie Jackson is not that; Luke Kennard is not that. Eric Bledsoe can be a good fifth starter, and he can guard on the ball when he wants to, but he doesn’t do it all the time.

CLIPPERS' WINNING PERCENTAGE WITHOUT THE INJURED KAWHI LEONARD; THEY ARE .677 WHEN HE PLAYS.