When the Clippers landed Kawhi and Paul George in the summer of 2019, it shook the whole league. Kawhi was fresh off a title with the Toronto Raptors, and many expected him to win a title with his third team in LA. Yet 4 years later, the Clippers are still ringless. However, just last year, many people were still picking them to come out of the West. It’s hard to blame them, when their two stars have been healthy, they’ve been very good. But availability has been the issue. Over their four years in Los Angeles, Kawhi has averaged just 40 games played per season, and George 47 a year. When your best players miss half of each season and then often miss the playoffs it’s nearly impossible to win. But at the end of the day, you can’t write them off either, because they’re just that talented. In two games before injury last playoffs Kawhi averaged 35 points. He’s just an unbelievable talent. And George is one of the most well rounded players in the league. But now they have a third star who has been extremely durable throughout his career. Despite many claiming he was washed, Russell Westbrook had a bounce back playoffs and looked like his former self. Norman Powell was also very good against the Suns. The team has a legitimate top four of very high end talent. They also reportedly had some mutual interest in a James Harden trade, but we’ll see what happens with that. A lot of people are tired of placing their hopes in the Clippers, but this might be the most talented group they have had yet. They also have safeguards in Russ and Powell to protect from injuries to Kawhi and PG. The Los Angeles Clippers are sleepers in the Western Conference.
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#paulgeorge #russellwestbrook #kawhileonard
