The Clippers are scary. But it’s not because of what they’ve done to this point. It’s all about what they’re going to do.
Don’t get it twisted — they still look solid right now. At 9-5 as the West’s fourth seed. That isn’t the exact spot you’d expect a team with championship expectations to be in a few weeks into the season, but it’s a fine spot.
Yet, there’s not a single soul around that is actually worried about them and for good reason. They’re not even close to hitting their stride yet. We won’t see that until later this year.
The team the Clippers have trotted out on the court over the first few weeks of the season is not the team we’re going to see when the postseason rolls around. It’s not even the team that they’re going to roll out come January. They’ll get a lot better a lot sooner than you think.
The Clippers haven’t put the pieces together yet
They just got Paul George back and he looks like an MVP candidate through three games. He’s averaging 29.3 points per game and is, somehow, in the 50-50-95 club with his shooting splits. That includes his Staples Center debut with 37 points against the Hawks.
💪 @Yg_Trece's 37 PTS propel the @LAClippers to victory in his @STAPLESCenter debut! #ClipperNation pic.twitter.com/Uvege1MSWw
— NBA (@NBA) November 17, 2019
To call his first three games a hot start would be disrespectful to how other-worldly he’s actually been.
Kawhi Leonard is, well….Kawhi Leonard. He has to get healthy but he’s a top 3-or-so player when he is. He’s added new skills to his cyborg programming and is playing a lot of point this season. He isn’t shooting that well yet, but he’s still averaging a career high 26.8 points per game.
Here’s the kicker: Those two have yet to play a SINGLE minute together this season. Since George returned, Leonard has been out with a knee contusion. Before Leonard’s knee became a problem, George was recovering from shoulder surgery.
It’s like they’re playing phone tag but with injuries.
The Clippers haven’t really suffered from their star’s absence
They were already a deep team last season with an offense that centered around the pick and roll magic between Lou Williams and Monztrezl Harrell — literally two of the three best bench players in the NBA.
They added two superstars to the equation this season and have constantly had one on the court. The results have been fairly fruitful. Though they’re fourth in the West, their 6.1 net rating is the 6th best in the league and the 2nd best in the West behind only the Lakers.
Net rating is typically a good indicator for which teams around the leagues are most dominant in their wins and the Clippers’ is only going to get better. George and Leonard are two of the best two-way players in the league right now — especially on the perimeter. Their 103.6 defensive rating, specifically, is going to shrink.
Things should start to look normal for the Clippers soon. Leonard was expected back on Monday, but postponed his return because of his knee soreness. Still, he’ll be back before long.
It’ll take a second for the team to gel once they do get their two stars back on the court together, but once things click the rest of the NBA is going to be on notice.