It’s time for the Los Angeles Clippers to take their next step.
Another campaign of Los Angeles Clippers basketball is on the horizon, and excitement among fans is at fever pitch after spending the entire offseason watching guys getting back to full health for this exact moment.
It’s been a long journey from seeing Kawhi Leonard putting up shots again, to signing John Wall, to seeing Paul George hitting the runs with his teammates, to Kawhi playing full-contact five-on-five and finally to that preseason game against the Portland Trail Blazers, where we got to see all three put that together.
Now it’s time for Ty Lue and his guys to make it work on the court. We saw plenty of promising points in preseason that can translate into the regular season, but there are still some questions to be answered.
For example, who will be the starting point guard? Will the Clippers opt to go small in crunch time minutes? Exactly how will they share those minutes out across such a deep roster?
They’re all questions for the head coach and his staff to answer – though he’s already stressed he doesn’t quite yet know the answer to at least the first of those.
Reggie Jackson will likely remain in position until Wall proves he truly belongs on this team, while Ivica Zubac will also have the chance to prove he can be the most reliable center down the stretch, and none of us envy the conversations Ty will need to have as he shortens his rotations heading into the postseason. All we know is that this promises to be one hell of a ride. Strap yourselves in, Clipper Nation!
What’s the best-case scenario for your team this season?
If you gave Clippers fans a lamp and all three wishes, there’s every chance they’d use each of them to wish for good health this season — and if they can be specific, make it Kawhi, PG and Wall in that order, please. Though people will also be praying for a run to the finals or even the holy grail itself, a minimum of full health would really give us an idea of where this team is at. It could well be enough to confirm both of those scenarios anyway, but if it isn’t, then we’d get to see where the holes are and have the chance to correct things going into the following year with most players already signed to multi-year deals.
What’s the worst-case scenario for your team this season?
The nightmare scenario has to be another season disrupted by injuries. We could speculate about curses and whether yet another second round collapse would really break our hearts, but we’d ultimately be able to brush it off and back Coach Lue to be able to find the right formula next time around. However, another season in which Kawhi, PG et al couldn’t stay healthy would be a real punch in the gut. With the window to win a championship shortening for those more experienced guys on the roster, another year of being denied that chance through no fault of their own might cause doubts to creep in further.
What’s the most likely scenario for your team this season?
A high seeding and a deep playoff run are both more than on the cards for this team. Though the target will be a championship, there is an awful lot that has to go right to even get to the point of achieving that. Given this team became the first in franchise history to reach the Conference Finals, getting to the Finals would feel like progress to many fans. It would be a shame to see them get there and not take that final step, but there’s no reason to believe that means it won’t happen at all. Expect the Clippers to be clever with their minute management to set themselves up to not only reach that stage, but also give themselves the best possible chance to take the opportunity.
What are you most excited for going into this season?
It’s simple: a healthy Kawhi and a settled PG playing together again.
Since Kawhi’s injury, George has really stepped up to become the leader on the team, and that has helped him become an even better all-round player for the Clippers in the process. Though things looked great in the 2021 playoffs, it feels like our Palmdale native has taken another step up from there, despite seeing limited time on the court himself last season. With both now fully bought into the project and their teammates and with the experience of that run to the Western Conference Finals under their belts, the duo will be a scary proposition for the whole league this season.
Prediction
55-27, third in the Western Conference
Roster Changes
Additions: John Wall, Moses Brown, Moussa Diabate
Subtractions: Isaiah Hartenstein, Rodney Hood, Jay Scrubb, Xavier Moon
2021-2022
Record: 42-40
Conference ranking: 8th
Offensive rating: 109.5
Defensive rating: 109.5