The Los Angeles Clippers Are Not Here For Your Apologies
- quansmith33
- Jan 20
- 3 min read
It's been quite the season for LA's other team, I mean, imagine they were hailed by many as offseason winners. Yes, they were deep-signing veteran players such as Bradley Beal, Brook Lopez, and Chris Paul, to name a few. They brought back James Harden and made it clear they were competing to win the franchise first- ever NBA title. Then the season arrived, the losses started piling up, Kawhi Leonard is taking vacations, and Bradley Beal went down for the season. The Turmoil begin when the Clippers decided they were no longer interested in a Chris Paul retirement tour and sent him home. Break up the Clippers because they were among the NBA's worst teams, and should they overload their veteran roster to get back draft picks they don't have. That was then, and now this is one of the more dangerous teams; in fact, they just might crash a tough Western Conference party with the deep roster.
The LA Clippers are 14-8 since November and in striking distance of moving up
It's fascinating to watch a team that looks nearly cooked is back in the mix. They are 14-8 since the end of November, putting them over 500. As of this writing, they are 19-23, sitting in tenth place, and with the Golden State Warriors losing Jimmy Butler for the season, Clippers fans should be rejoicing. This is a veteran, talented roster year with an average age of around 33 years old; in other words, that is a lot of NBA seasoned experience.
James Harden is turning back the clock
James Harden is one of the biggest reasons for the recent turnaround. He is averaging 25.3 points per game in his last 10 games. This isn't 2018 James Harden, yet I have to admit the dude is balling; he is playing the Robin role well until Kawhi gets back on the floor(he is injured as of this writing). I am also looking at others. Ivacia Zubac is underrated as hell. He's a double-double machine and remains their best big man capable of going with the rest of them. John Collins may be a journeyman at this point in his career, but he's quietly averaging 13.0 per game. The Clippers are getting their production in multiple ways, and James Harden's recent surge is good enough.
Coach Lue is still Coach Lue
We have to give Coach Lue credit; he is one of the best coaches in the NBA. I find it interesting that he has yet to take them to the Finals; that's another discussion. The fact is, the Clippers will go as far as he can coach them. He deserves some coach of the year recognition for turning his team around, getting maximum production from James Harden and the role players, simply playing hard.
This team is built for the postseason
As I stated, the Clippers are rolling, and they are not here for your apologies. James Harden is still reminding folks he can go, Kawhi will come back, and he could turn into his 2019 form, and the veterans are simply together, Nic Batum still has the coolest name, and John Collins is playing meaningful basketball. Brook Lopez will dunk on you, and Kris Dunn can play defense. Let's not forget Derrick Jones Jr.; it's possible he played on every team in the league, but when healthy, he's a factor. Zubac is built for postseason breakouts, and the best reason for this team outlook the rest of the season belongs to Coach Lue. The Clippers are hot, and with a few Western Conference teams dealing with injuries, they could push for a top 6 seed at the highest, but they will be in the playoffs. Just imagine if everyone is healthy for a postseason run, keep your receipts because this team will be checking them.
All stats and standings from statsmuse.com
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