The Los Angeles Clippers season ended on Wednesday after a tough series against the Phoenix Suns. After coming back to win two consecutive series down 0-2, they didn’t have enough juice to pull off a third. While a championship was the ultimate goal, it’s hard not to look at this playoff run as an overall success given the circumstances. The Clippers’ rotation stepped up against the Jazz as many people wrote them off and led the franchise to its first-ever conference finals. They should be viewed as one of the favorites heading into next season, especially with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George playing the way they have.
The Clippers still have some room for improvement and fine-tuning. Thankfully, Leonard’s injury isn’t a long-term one, so he could be ready to start the 2021-22 season. An early playoff exit would likely have the front office shuffling most of their role players. But after this playoff run where all the pieces looked like they were fitting, they might look to retain most, if not all of the role players. The Clippers will get very expensive, but luckily for them and their fans, that shouldn’t impact any decision-making.