The Los Angeles Clippers are loaded top to bottom. Led by stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the Clippers are ready to win now. The depth is there, the coach is in place, and the stars are healthy. This roster has changed a lot since the team landed Leonard and George back in July 2019, but they are ready to win now and might just have the best roster in the NBA.
Let’s start with the depth of the roster. It starts with the stars and Kawhi and PG are both postseason winners, and would have been in the NBA Finals and might have won had Kawhi not gotten hurt in 2021. Behind those guys it's Reggie Jackson, Ivica Zubac, and one of Marcus Morris, Nic Batum, or Robert Covington in the starting 5 to round out a long and athletic starting, though head coach Ty Lue likes to play small and have more athleticism on the court so Zubac sometimes plays a smaller role. Off the bench they have those big wings (Batum, Morris, and Covington) as options along with Norman Powell, John Wall, Terrence Mann, Luke Kennard, Amir Coffey, and Brandon Boston Jr. who have all shown they can contribute good NBA minutes to a team. This team can play big or small, they can shoot, play defense, have so many wings you don’t know what to do with all of them, and have a coach who is arguably the best coach in the NBA. This is going to be an elite offensive team, and one I think that will lead the league in offensive rating. They were 3rd in 2020-21 behind the Portland Trail Blazers and the Brooklyn Nets, and both those teams have taken steps back on their roster and this team has just added to this offense. I suspect they will also be a top 10 defense, because with just how long and switchable this team is, mismatches will be few and far between. This is an elite team that’s fate may come down to just one thing: health.
Last season was a wash for the Clippers. Missing Leonard for the entire season and George for 51 games, meant that LA had an uphill battle to make the playoffs… and if George didn’t catch COVID the day of their 2nd game in the Play-In Tournament, they probably would have made it (of course they could have not blown the game in Minnesota too but that’s neither here nor there). Ty Lue did an excellent job coaching the team and even got some Coach of the Year votes. However, nothing matters if Kawhi and PG are not healthy. In this league you need stars to win, which is why the Clippers sold their soul to the Thunder to acquire George, so Leonard would sign and George would be the co-star because without even just one of those guys this team's title aspirations go down the drain. So as I stated earlier, there is no bigger key in this Clippers season than health, which is why you will likely see both Leonard and George take games off because the Clippers understand just how important it is for them not just to have a deep playoff run but to win the championship.
The West is loaded, absolutely loaded. It starts with the defending champs, the Golden State Warriors, the Dallas Mavericks are coming off a trip to the Western Conference, the Memphis Grizzlies are coming off a 56 win season, the Phoenix Suns are coming of a 64 win season (though I have my doubts about the Suns), the Minnesota Timberwolves just traded for one of the most dominant defensive centers of all time, and the Denver Nuggets are healthy and have the 2 time reigning MVP on their team. So the work is cut out for the Clippers, but they are better than most of the teams I just stated (I am giving respect to the champs and saying they are better for now) and have ways to get to the Finals. It starts with the greatness of the 2 stars. It cannot be overstated just how dominant Paul George was in the Clippers 2021 playoff run that ended in the Conference Finals. The man averaged 26.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 5.4 assists, had 10 double doubles, and scored at least 20 points in every game that postseason. He and Reggie Jackson killed the Jazz so badly off the dribble, they never recovered as a franchise. Yes, he has had his postseason blunders but Paul George is ready, that man is a cold blooded killer, and Kawhi Leonard might just be more of a killer than him. In 2019, Kawhi Leonard put the whole country of Canada on his back and won a championship, having one of the most legendary playoff runs we have ever seen, that included a game 7 buzzer beater in the 2nd round, winning 4 games in a row against the best team in the league, and defeating one of the greatest dynasty's in the history of the game, though the Warriors did have some injuries. The Clippers have depth that is ready for big moments and always have guys ready to step up, a coach that understands how to adjust in a playoff series and does it exceptionally well, and stars that will not back down to anyone.
The Clippers are healthy and after missing the playoffs last season seem like they are ready for their championship push. The stars are in place, the depth has loads of talent, the coach is always prepared for everything, and the owner is all in. The Clippers are ready for their title run, can they pull it off?
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