The spotlight shines on the Los Angeles Clippers as part of my NBA worry-wart series. The Clippers’ recent history has been entertaining if nothing else. A drama series on Hulu is based on the franchise. This season, however, features a different drama unfolding. Superstar Paul George took his talents to Philadelphia as part of an epic franchise rinsing. Former NBA MVP Russell Westbrook was traded to Utah (and subsequently waived). Superstars James Harden and Kawhi Leonard remain in the fold with a new supporting cast around them. Should the Los Angeles Clippers worry this coming season?
Big Little Brother
For years, the Los Angeles Clippers were known as the other team in LA. While the Los Angeles Lakers dominate West Coast storylines, the Clippers have always been a side story. Sharing the same stadium as the Lakers, winners of 17 NBA Championships, the Clippers were the Scar of the NBA’s Pride Rock. Following this team felt like a side quest to the overall mission of NBA contention. They have never won a championship. These days, the Clippers and owner Steve Ballmer are dramatically shedding the little brother image.
Little brother moved out and is now sporting a wickedly impressive stadium in Inglewood. This state-of-the-art building will be a free-agent magnet and a tremendous way for the team to separate itself from the rest of the league. With the move comes stability—knowing that you have an owner with attention to detail and investment in all aspects of the operation. Contrast that with the Boston Celtics team that just won a championship after 16 years, paid everybody on the roster, and was put up for sale.
Coaching stability is also a selling point. Head Coach Tyronn Lue has been part of the organization since 2019. Before the Clippers, he won the championship as head coach in Cleveland and won two in LA as a player. He is also fresh off a gold medal as an assistant coach in this year’s Olympics. Can Big Brother say the same with their coaching situation? Most teams would kill for that stability, and the Clippers have it.
Ty Lue has been sharpening his mind alongside Kerr, Spo and Few. He synced his brain with greats like LeBron and Steph. And he broke French bread and X’s and O’s with Jeff Van Gundy over dinners in Paris, getting a head start on reshaping Clips without PG https://t.co/kWz7YgAPjB
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) August 28, 2024
Plan B
Plan A was simple in 2019: Get the best player in free agency, Kawhi Leonard, after a championship and Finals MVP in Toronto. Ask him who he wants to play with and trade the farm for that player. Giving up massive assets to the Oklahoma City Thunder to pair Paul George with Kawhi Leonard electrified the fanbase and promised a newfound sense of belonging. The Lakers made a similar move by trading for superstar Anthony Davis.
That dream died. COVID-19 that year (Big Brother Lakers, alongside future Hall-of-Famer LeBron James, won the championship). Injuries to the Clippers’ best players in subsequent years. A shock conference finals appearance in 2021 likely forced Plan A to pass its expiration date. A midseason disgruntled James Harden trade and the addition of Russell Westbrook made for an odd LA area-bred mix. Now Paul George leaves home to chase a chip with former MVP Joel Embiid.
Plan B is more complicated. With familiar names going out the door like Mason Plumlee and Daniel Theis, outcasts have stepped into the fold. Kevin Porter Jr. was traded by the Houston Rockets and immediately cut, leaving him out of the NBA after a domestic violence dispute. Now, he joins the Clippers after a year overseas. Derrick Jones Jr. was a valuable piece of the Dallas Mavericks squad that made the Finals last season. Mo Bamba had a cup of tea with the Lakers squad that made the Western Conference Finals in 2023. The pieces appear random, and the fit is unclear.
Should the Los Angeles Clippers Worry This Coming Season?
I would. I watched a healthy Clippers team in person last year and didn’t see the vision. James Harden just celebrated his 35th birthday, and the Clippers will depend on him like the 2015 Rockets did ten years ago. This is not good. Additionally, he is still sour about the relationship failures at his previous stop—the same place his former teammate George chose to go. How Harden mentally handles that dynamic and natural attrition will be paramount.
Plan on a Harden-heavy roster because Kawhi Leonard is such a question mark. Leonard was supposed to be on the Olympic team roster but withdrew due to health concerns. That’s scary because the Clippers just signed him to a max contract extension, and his availability is in the air. His health issues since his last season with the San Antonio Spurs will be in a book one day. The NBA made an unofficial “Kawhi Rule,” forcing players to play a minimum number of games to qualify for major NBA awards.
The roster piecemeal is likely a byproduct of the new CBA, severely restricting capped-out teams from making high-dollar roster moves. Losing a player like George doesn’t translate to spendable dollars like it would in the past. The growth and development of young star Terance Mann will undoubtedly shape the Clippers’ near future.
A great coach, a great young player, and two healthy superstars are championship ingredients on paper. But the path to victory is hazy at best.
Photo Credit for featured cover image: Getty Images.
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