The Los Angeles Clippers are coming off one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history. Now they will look to turn the page while still relying mostly on the same cast of characters to put them over the top this season. Injuries, off-court incidents and a lack of leadership cost Los Angeles the opportunity to contend for an NBA championship a year ago. Now the Clippers will look to move past another disappointing early playoff exit and finally deliver on their considerable potential.
Offseason Changes
Doc Rivers and his staff concentrated on retaining their assets while adding a couple of veteran role players to compliment the star power on their roster. Los Angeles added a pair of veteran guards in Raymond Felton and Alan Anderson, then signed Brandon Bass in free agency. Their biggest addition could be their rookie first round pick Brice Johnson, who the Clippers selected with the 25th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. The Los Angeles Clippers will need him to deliver right off the bat, though.
This is a team that really didn’t have much flexible to move around in terms of cap space, so they’re going with what they have. They’re probably still a few bricks short of a load, though, as they’re missing one good piece. It’s possible they find someone at the trade deadline.
Strengths
The big three of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan still represents one of the best core groups in the NBA with all three players among the best in the league at their positions. Paul remains among the game’s elite point guards while Jordan did his part to live up to the massive free agent deal he signed before last season. Griffin should be motivated to prove that he has matured following last season’s off-court incident and the fact that he will be an unrestricted free agent following this season should help. J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford provide some serious scoring punch and the ability to stretch the floor with the three-point shot on a consistent basis. The Los Angeles Clippers were also just as sound at the defensive floor a year ago where Jordan in particular thrived as a rim protector.
Weaknesses
This team will only go as far as its big three will take them and that was a major problem throughout last season. Griffin missed time after breaking his hand punching a team trainer and that put an even bigger burden on Paul and Jordan to carry the load. The Clippers’ offensive rating plunged from 113.7 when Paul was on the floor to 99.5 when he was off the floor last season so the hope is that the additions of Felton and Anderson will help limit the drop off. Redick and Crawford are strong complementary pieces but the lack of depth on this roster hurt Los Angeles last season.
Whether this team is good enough even at their peak is a legitimate concern. Even at their best, they’ve had a tough time really pushing the San Antonio Spurs, Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors in recent years. What’s really changed?
The general hope is that this team has underachieved over the last couple of years and it will be on Rivers to get things in order and figure out how to maximize the potential at his disposal. That’s what this team is clinging to.
Outlook
There is a very good chance this will be the final year with the core group of Paul, Griffin and Jordan together and it will be very interesting to see what happens. Either they come together and finally deliver on their potential with a deep playoff run or everything falls apart for the final time and there are major changes once the offseason rolls around. Griffin could be on his way out regardless of what happens, as he is set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer. The Los Angeles Clippers should be one of the better teams in the Western Conference if they can stay healthy, but ultimately this team will be judged based on what they do once the playoffs roll around.
Prediction: 2nd in Pacific Division; 3rd in Western Conference
