Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers have had quite a season. When Paul George left in the summer, and Kawhi was ruled out to begin the year, many assumed the franchise would’ve been in the Cooper Flagg race. However, through resilience and some incredible performances, the Clippers are in the race to lock down a top-6 seed.
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The Clippers are in a close, four-team battle for the 5th and 6th seeds. At the time of writing, the Golden State Warriors, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Clippers, and the Memphis Grizzlies occupy the 5th to 8th seeds in the West. And just half a game separates them.
The Warriors, with a 44-31 record, sit ahead of the other three teams, who are all at 44-32. From now on, each matchup will feel like a playoff battle. And each game the opponents play also impacts the standings. As things move into April, a lot of players are keeping a close eye on the standings, but Leonard isn’t one of them.
After the 114-98 win over the New Orleans Pelicans last night, Leonard was asked whether he watches the standings and roots for certain teams. Typically nonchalant, he replied, sharing how he leaves that to his teammates. “They do enough for me. I do watch games but for me, winning is whoever you put in front of you.”
Kawhi keeps it simple. So whoever it is, you gotta beat them to win the ultimate goal,” he shared his mindset.
Asked Kawhi Leonard if he watches the standings and roots for certain teams like his Clippers teammates:
Kawhi: “They do enough for me. I do watch games but for me, winning is whoever you put in front of you.”
Me: “So they let you know in the group chat?”
Kawhi: “Yeah for sure… pic.twitter.com/mGyTm9I6Md
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) April 3, 2025
However, his teammates make sure that the Klaw is never in the dark. Kawhi shared that his teammates let him know what was happening in the group chat or when they get together in the locker room.
With the race in the West being too close to predict, we may be in for a very exciting finish to the season.
The Clippers can end as high as the 3rd seed
This year, once again, the final seedings in the West will boil down to the very last game. Currently, two things are certain: The Oklahoma City Thunder are a lock for the #1 seed, and the Pelicans and the Utah Jazz are out for the year.
The 2nd-seed Houston Rockets are three games ahead of the 3rd-seed LA Lakers. The Grizzlies, who are the 8th in the West, are just 2.5 games behind the Lakers.
The goal for the teams seeded three to eight is to lock in a top-six spot and avoid the play-in tournament. The teams in this race have a maximum of seven games left in the season.
The Clippers, who are currently 7th, have six games left. Out of those games, only two are against the teams in the race for a playoff seeding.
In comparison, the other teams sitting between three and eight have tougher schedules. Now, realistically, the Clippers can easily jump up to the 5th seed if the Wolves or the Warriors lose a few games.
For them to make the way to the top-3, the Clippers will have to win all six games on their schedule and then hope for the Lakers and the Denver Nuggets not to win most of their remaining games. While it’s quite improbable, it’s certainly not out of the question, not just yet.
