The Los Angeles Clippers went all the way to their first ever Western Conference Finals in 2021 and if it were not due to a Kawhi Leonard injury, they could have gone farther. After an embarrassing 7 game defeat to the Denver Nuggets in the bubble after leading 3-1, the Clippers bounced back in 2021, and I expect them to keep trending up in 2022, even if they are a worse team due to the absence of their best player. Yes, I know Kawhi Leonard is likely out for the entire 2021-22 NBA season and so that takes the Clippers out of the championship favorite race, but that does not mean the 2021-22 Los Angeles Clippers are going to be a bad team or easy to play against, actually I expect the opposite.
LA has not done much in the offseason, resigning Leonard was priority one, and they did that as ‘The Klaw’ signed a 4 year $176 million dollar extension to remain a Clipper. They were also able to re-sign Nic Batum and Reggie Jackson, both players were incredibly important to the team in the 2021 playoffs, Jackson especially was excellent in the postseason. They did make a few roster changes, as they drafted Keon Johnson (Tennessee) in the first round, Jason Preston (Ohio), and B.J. Boston (Kentucky) in the 2nd round while also singing Justise Winslow as a free agent and trading Patrick Beverly, Rajon Rondo, and Daniel Oturu to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for guard Eric Bledsoe, the move saved Los Angeles $30 million on their luxury tax bill, while also solving a potential roster crunch the team could have had. So even though that move does not make a ton of sense from a basketball perspective, it gives the Clippers a little more flexibility from a roster and payroll perspective. Other than those minor moves, it has been a quiet couple of weeks for the Clippers, especially compared to their cross town rival Lakers, who have been one of the most active teams this offseason. Yet, this is not a bad thing because every move they have made seemingly has been very calculated.
The Clippers should be a solid defensive team next season, and will likely be an elite offensive team, leading the league in 3 pointers as well. So, why do I see people claiming they are going to miss the playoffs. They are one of the most resilient teams in the NBA, as that was proven multiple times in the playoffs. Health, of course, is a factor in this and we now know the Clippers will not be healthy this season so of course that is going to lessen expectations and it certainly has for me as well but I would be shocked, provided more major injuries did not happen, if the Clippers missed the playoffs. They are too talented, with Paul George, Reggie Jackson, Marcus Morris, Luke Kennard, Serge Ibaka, and others making this team a good one. Winslow and Bledsoe will give the team better defensive players and bigger ball handlers then the team had with Rondo. Beverly will be a huge loss, as he was such an important part of their team as a defensive stopper and the overall heart and soul of the team, but they will be able to survive that part of it too. They have legit NBAers at every position with guys who can provide good minutes on a good team.
The Clippers are going to be good in 2021-22, they are going to make the playoffs, and I think they have a chance to do some damage. Paul George has a sneaky MVP case to be made here, as he is the only star on their team and he is going to be their primary ball handler so that is an interesting case to watch out for. They also have brought back a lot of good players from the 2021 West Finals team so I would be surprised if they failed to be a solid team who gave people problems. The Los Angeles Clippers are going to be a major problem in future years and be a solid team in 2022.
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