Los Angeles Lakers: How LA matches up against the best in the West

3. Houston Rockets

You might be surprised to see the Houston Rockets on this list as a top team in the West because of the clashing play styles ofRussell WestbrookandJames Harden. While it will probably hurt the team in the playoffs, they have way too much talent to not finish in the top four in the West.

The pros:

Right off the bat, the biggest pro that the Los Angeles Lakers have over the Houston Rockets is team chemistry. As we mentioned, Westbrook and Harden are not two peas in a pod and they are going to clash with each other.

That will be able to be contained in the regular season but when the going gets tough, the clashing play styles are going to be hard to manage, whereas LeBron James and Anthony Davis go together in a much better manner.

The Lakers’ size is also going to be a big problem for Houston. While the team hasClint Capela, they also have a starting three inEric Gordonthat is six-four and a starting four inP.J. Tuckerthat is six-six.

The cons:

The Rockets have far more athleticism on their roster, particularly because of Harden and Westbrook. Both guys have extreme motors and are going to push the pace to a point that is going to force the Lakers to slow the game down.

If the Rockets can force the Lakers to play their style of basketball then it will bode well for Houston in the matchups.

Also, the Lakers are going to have a hard time guarding both Westbrook and Harden.Gerald Greenis going to get one of the two but the Lakers are going to need someone such asAvery Bradleyto step up big time in these matchups to keep both guys at bay. Or at least try.

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