The Clippers had once again a troubled year as Paul George’s and Kawhi Leonard’s injuries prevented them from having a consistent season. From the top 8 teams in the West last season, the Clippers were the ones who had the worst record in games against winning record teams: 20-27. After three consecutive seasons where they were an elite defensive team, the Clippers were just average on defense last season by being #22 in the league at defending 3pts%, something bizarre for a team with a roster full of good perimeter defensive players.
The good news was that while he was on court, Kawhi Leonard looked impressive and the Clippers’ lineups with both Kawhi and George on court had good enough numbers to show that they could be a legit contender caliber team if their two stars remain healthy in the future.
2023/24 OUTLOOK:
The Point Guard position is still the one with more uncertainties within the team. The Clippers were involved in a lot of trade rumors during the offseason and they are still trying to get James Harden.
The Clippers got Russell Westbrook late last season and his impact was inconsistent. He didn’t play a lot of minutes with George and Leonard due to injuries and rotation options from the team’s coach, but when that happened the numbers weren’t great anyway although the sample was fairly limited.
In the playoffs, the LA team lost Leonard after winning the first game of their series and then proceeded to lose the following 4 games against the Suns. Westbrook’s performances were full of effort but they were a roller coaster: in Game 4, he scored 37 points while shooting 17-29 FG; but in the following game, he shot 3-18 FG while committing 5 turnovers…
Apparently, the Clippers believe they can find the best current version of Westbrook in a more consistent way and he is projected to be the team’s starting PG this season.
Both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are healthy to start the season. Note that despite all the injuries, when these two players were on court together last season, the team’s +/- numbers were similar to the ones of a legit contending team. So, once again, health will be the X factor for this team this season.