Back in the summer of 2019, shockwaves were sent through the NBA when the “other” team in LA, the Clippers traded an inconceivable number of draft picks to the OKC Thunder along with Danilo Gallinari and promising guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. All for the services of superstar Paul George, one of the league’s best 2-way players.
At the same time, we found out that the acquisition of PG was directly related to the signing of the biggest name in free agency, another top tier 2-way player and 2-time NBA Champion and Finals MVP, Kawhi Leonard.
Without a doubt the most impressive talent acquisitions in franchise history.
THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT
Things were looking good for the Clippers and people were ready to hand them the title before the season even started in July. Paul George was coming off a career year finishing as the runner-up for the MVP award. Kawhi had just won an NBA title with the Toronto Raptors, in a run full of highlights and playoff dramatics.
The Clippers meanwhile had the best 2 man punch off the bench with Lou Williams winning the 6th man of the year award and leading the team in scoring. A team of gritty players willing to leave it all on the line for their team. But as hard as they played, they didn’t have the firepower to make it out of the first round of the playoffs, losing to the Warriors in 6 games.
This was a good Clippers team and with the addition of not just one but two of the best players in the league, this team now had the firepower to compete with anyone. To make things even better, Doc Rivers was the head coach, a successful championship coach, regarded as one of the best coaches in the league. Rivers was essential in building the Clipper’s winning culture for the past 6 years. Destiny was knocking at the door, and it felt like it was only a matter of time.
The Bubble Meltdown
Here’s the thing about destiny and the NBA: even if all the stars align for you, you need to win basketball games at the end of the day. Winning in June is the goal for a team with this amount of talent, and in the best basketball league in the world, that is a hard thing to do. Not having your best players available complicates things.
Paul George missed the beginning of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery during the off-season. Add a couple of missed games due to load management and he ended up missing 24 regular-season games. Kawhi on the other hand missed 15 games with minor injuries and load management but it was all going according to the Clipper’s plan. Fate had a very different set of plans however, enter 2020. The year that derailed the plans of every person on the planet. The NBA suspended their season amid the pandemic in March and later resumed it in July. The Clippers still managed to secure the 2nd seed, and everything was going well, until it wasn’t.
The Clippers lost a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets in the semifinals and blamed the game 7 loss on fatigue. After a season that was full of promise, they had a complete meltdown and thus their season was over. 13 days later Doc Rivers was fired and the search for a new coach was underway.
A New Voice
The team was now in the market for a new voice in the locker room, and a different coaching mindset. They would eventually promote Tyronn Lue to the head coach position, Lue was an assistant coach during the previous season. Another well-respected coach who coached the Cavaliers to the 2016 championship and pulled off the biggest comeback in NBA history against the Warriors in the Finals. Ty Lue had the respect of the locker room, and he connected well with the team.
The Clippers were looking forward to redeeming themselves in the 2020-21 season. Paul George missed 18 games while dealing with a bone issue in his right foot and for load management purposes. Kawhi on the other hand suffered a multitude of issues and load management that led him to miss 20 regular-season games.
They would go on to finish as the 4th seed in the West. Surprisingly they made the deepest run in franchise history, making it all the way to the conference finals. They were the first team to come back from being down 2-0 twice during the same playoffs. Showing that this team still had its gritty nature and wasn’t going to go down quietly. But it was not meant to be as Kawhi Leonard tore the ACL in his right knee during the second round and was lost for the final eight games of the postseason. Without Kawhi the Clippers had to face off against a deep Phoenix Suns team that would eventually eliminate the Clippers in 6 games.
No Kawhi or George?
After tearing his ACL, Kawhi missed the entire 2021-22 season. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the Clippers lost Paul George for a month early in the season with a torn ligament in his elbow. Add in other injuries, COVID-related absences along with the good old load management, and Paul George ended up missing 51 games.
The Clippers finished the season with a 42-40 record, losing both play-in tournaments and missing the playoffs for the first time since 2018. A lost season that saw the hype surrounding this team beginning to ward off. Even after a deep playoff run in the previous year, it was starting to be blatantly obvious that this team had a problem.
More of the same
The 2023-23 season was supposed to be the one. The previous season’s silver lining was supposed to have been unintentionally allowing the roster to heal. The acquisition of John Wall in the offseason along with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard set to return to the court for a full season elevated expectations. But just like the previous seasons, things didn’t go their way. John Wall struggled to find his place with the team and was eventually traded away. The team acquired Rusell Westbrook in the off-season in hopes to add another impactful player to the team.
While Westbrook was a better fit than Wall, the Clips still had to deal with their two main stars missing games. Paul George missed 29 during the regular season and all 5 of the Clipper’s post-season games. Kawhi missed another 30 regular season games and suffered a meniscus tear in his right knee that caused him to miss 3 playoff games. Without George and Kawhi the Clippers could only do so much against the onslaught of the Phoenix Suns and thus were eliminated in the first round.
Another season with another disappointing ending.
Final Thoughts
3 years after their acquisition and these Clippers have had flashes of potential and what could be. Even without knowing who will be available for games. This Clippers team has shown they have the talent to compete with the best teams in the league. But with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard missing so many games it has been nearly impossible to have any consistency. Teams spend months trying to create team chemistry on the court and star players are essential to the process, after all, game plans are built to make the best use of their skills.
They have the roster and the stars, and that may be the one thing that holds this Clippers team back. When healthy this is a scary team capable of winning it all. Yet the Clippers are at the mercy of when their star players can play and when they can’t. Their inability to stay healthy is the key factor here. Not knowing if PG or Kawhi will be available is the Clipper’s biggest misfortune.
Next season both Kawhi and Paul George will make north of 45 million each. And they hold player options that will increase that number to 48 million. You have to wonder how much longer are the Clippers willing to ride this out. Paul George said he wants to retire as a Clipper, and as far as Kawhi well, who really knows. Should the Clippers try to sign them again? Trade them or start a rebuild?
What would you do?
