Why Nobody is Talking About the Clippers in 2022-23
Throughout their NBA existence, the Los Angeles Clippers have been treated as if they were the red headed stepchild of the Los Angeles basketball scene. And it’s hard to blame those that do, given the fact that the Clippers haven’t won a single NBA championship while the Lakers have 17 banners hanging above the court of Crypto.com Arena.
While the Clippers have enjoyed a degree of playoff success over the last decade or so, they still haven’t made it past the Western Conference Finals. Not to mention the fact that they blew a 3-1 series lead in the West semis in 2020 against the Denver Nuggets.
Yes, the Clippers have one of the most star-studded squads in the NBA. Some have even dared to say the Clippers have the deepest roster in the league. And yet, time after time, they’ve been nothing more than disappointments to the Clipper faithful.
Injury Woes
With a line-up that has Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, many expected the Clippers to have won a championship by now. In fact, they should have been regularly competing against the Golden State Warriors atop the stacked West standings. Yet last season, they only managed a ninth-place finish. Why?
Simply put, injuries.
Kawhi Leonard hasn’t played an NBA game since suffering an ACL injury during the 2021 playoffs, missing all of last season after undergoing surgery. Meanwhile, Paul George only managed to suit up for 31 games last season.
As pointed out by ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, the Lakers’ oft injured Anthony Davis has played more games than Leonard and George. That, despite the fact that Davis has been injured for most of his time in Hollywood. “He’s (Davis) played in more games since 2019 than either Kawhi Leonard or Paul George. AD played 138, Kawhi played 102, Paul George played 133,” Shelburne quipped.
Hammering home the point that Davis currently has the upper hand, is the fact that he’s already won a championship in 2020.
In theory, adding John Wall is a boost to this veteran laden Clippers roster. However, much like his two new teammates, Wall has been bitten by the injury bug multiple times throughout his career.
In 2019, Wall sustained a ruptured Achilles which subsequently required surgery, causing Wall to miss a year with the Washington Wizards. Then his ongoing contract issue with the Rockets and their attempt to rebuild their roster also caused him to miss significant time as well.
Since 2017, Wall has played in 41, 32, 0, 40, and 0 games at the NBA level.
Tempering Expectations
One of the reasons why there hasn’t been much mention about the Clippers as contenders is the fact that pundits are trying to temper the expectations of fans. After all, the Clippers are now entering their fourth season with Leonard and George with little to show for it thus far.
The fact that Leonard and George can’t stay away from injury designations has the Vegas sharps worried, especially now that they’ll also be relying heavily on a 32 year old John Wall.
If healthy, the trio of Leonard, George, and Wall could be a formidable Big Three in the West. Leonard averaged 24.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 5.2 assists during the 2020-2021 campaign. In 31 games last season George averaged 24.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists, and 2.2 steals. Wall, who last played in 2020-2021, averaged 20.6 points, 6.9 assists, and 3.2 rebounds on an atrocious Rockets team, so there’s glimmers of hope.
Depth-wise, the Clippers have enough pieces at their disposal. Players like Reggie Jackson, Terrence Mann, Norman Powell, Ivica Zubac, and even Nic Batum could help ease the defensive responsibilities off of their stars.
The only question that matters this year is whether the Clippers’ stars stay healthy long enough to end the team’s title drought in 2022-23.
-Iggy Gonzales
Photo: All-Pro Reels. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.