As the Western Conference has gotten stronger year after year, the Los Angeles Clippers seemed to have taken a step back this offseason. After losing in the first round, the Clippers ended up letting Paul George go to the Philadelphia 76ers. Now, do the Clippers still have a chance at being a playoff team this season? ESPN’s Numbers on the Board crew discussed the future of LA.
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They took the Clippers’ main star Kawhi Leonard into consideration and specifically discussed how big of an impact he has on LA being a playoff contender this upcoming season. Leonard dealt with injuries since he came to LA. Due to which The Klaw missed out on a lot of playoffs. But the hosts couldn’t help but reminisce about Leonard’s MVP form.
When healthy, Kawhi finished most seasons as one of the top players for MVP honors. This led the crew to recall the last time he had a healthy playoff run and what transpired from it.
“I feel like the last time he had a healthy playoff run, he won the championship. Ever since then, it’s like he hasn’t hit the same pinnacle.”
They also went into the time Leonard had a healthy playoff run during his time with the Spurs. This was before he got traded to the Raptors and led the team to one of the most historic championship runs in NBA history. In both cases, he ended up winning a title. Unfortunately, Leonard hasn’t been able to achieve that same level of success ever since.
The last time Kawhi had a deep playoff run was in 2020 during the playoff bubble. Leonard led the Clippers to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. They had a sizable advantage against Nikola Jokić and the Nuggets. But the opposition pulled off a 3-1 comeback, upsetting LA and shattering their dreams of a title.
For the upcoming season, do the Clippers have what it takes to make the playoffs? With PG gone, Kawhi’s health would be detrimental to LA. The Clippers do have James Harden on the roster. But come playoff time, LA would need all the help they can get and Kawhi will have to play a big part if the team hopes to make it out of the first-second rounds of the playoffs.
