LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are healthy and heading into their fourth season together, giving the Los Angeles Clippers sky-high hopes that they'll win the franchise’s first championship.
Leonard and George have yet to fully show what they can do together over an entire season, considering COVID-19 forced the NBA into a bubble in 2020 and then both of them got hurt.
Leonard was sidelined last season as he rehabbed from surgery to repair a partially torn ACL, and since the 2016-17 season, he hasn’t played more than 60 games. George missed time with a right elbow injury, and has averaged just 44 games over the past three seasons in Los Angeles.
Despite their absences, the Clippers eked out a 42-40 record last season.
“Talent-wise, we’re pretty special,” George said. “This year is a great opportunity to win and to win big.”
Leonard and George say their goal is to stay healthy and make a deep playoff run. And they now have veteran guard John Wall in the lineup, added over the summer to go with Norman Powell, who got hurt shortly after being traded from Portland last season. Powell previously played with Leonard in Toronto.
“Let’s put it all on the floor and see what we can do,” Leonard said. “We got a lot of talent here and I think we can make something happen.”
The Clippers open the season on the road, kind of, taking on LeBron James and the Lakers at Crypto.com Arena on Oct. 20.
LOAD MANAGEMENT
Leonard’s name has been synonymous with the term load management for years. The Clippers will watch him carefully early on, likely resting him as necessary and managing his minutes throughout the season.
That’s where the team’s depth will help. Eight players averaged double-figure scoring last season, so there’s points to be had even with Leonard on the bench.
“I hope it’s just not too much pressure on him,” George said. “That he can go out there and just deliver and be himself.”
WALL REBUILDING
Wall is eager to play a full schedule after not doing so over the last three years in Washington and Houston because of injuries and politics. At 32, the five-time All-Star knows his window to win a championship is closing.
“I got a chip on my shoulder. I just feel like for my whole career a lot of people don’t give me my respect,” he said. “I put in a lot of work. You’re going to see a dog. That’s what you got when you signed me.”
George calls Wall “a piece that was needed.”
MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Ivica Zubac is the team's only true center. He rebounds and protects the rim, but if he's hurt, the team will be forced to play small. Isaiah Hartenstein, who was a key backup last season, joined the New York Knicks in free agency. Former UCLA player Moses Brown, who was invited to training camp, might help fill the void left by Hartenstein if he grabs the remaining roster spot.
MINUTE CRUNCH
With minutes at a premium because of the team's depth, coach Tyronn Lue will need to marshal his diplomatic skills. Players who aren't getting in games as often as they'd like are prone to grumble and that can lead to an unhappy locker room. The team's younger players gained valuable experience last season when Leonard and George were out.
“It was almost a gift within the curse, that we were able to see what we have,” George said.
LOOKING AHEAD
The early schedule has the Clippers playing 11 of their first 20 games at home. Their two longest trips of the season are a five-game stretch just before Christmas and a six-game Grammy getaway starting in late January.
They play the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors for the first time on Nov. 23 on the road. A week later, they get a visit from the New Orleans Pelicans, who knocked the Clippers out of the play-in tournament last season.
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Beth Harris, The Associated Press
