There have been excessive expectations for the Clippers the final 5 seasons due to the dynamic duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
That isn’t the case this season.
George skipped city, leaving the Clippers to affix the Philadelphia 76ers, and Leonard, who has handled accidents throughout his tenure with the Clippers, will probably be out indefinitely due to irritation in his proper knee.
So, when the Clippers open the common season Wednesday night time at Intuit Dome, the franchise’s new $2-billion enviornment, in opposition to the Phoenix Suns, NBA critics say they need to achieve this not anticipating to contend for a top-six spot within the uber-tough Western Convention. At finest, prognosticators say, the Clippers would possibly be capable to compete for one of many play-in spots.
The Clippers have heard all of the noise and have chosen to disregard all those that say they shouldn’t have the identical excessive expectations due to a once-again injured Leonard and the departure of George, the 2 stars who failed to steer the Clippers to a championship however made them aggressive always.
“Our expectations are always high — to win,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue stated. “I mean, we have a great group of guys. We got guys that play hard and compete. We got offensive guys and so when we step on the floor, we are preparing to win and we want to win. With PG being gone, with Kawhi being out right now, we still feel like we have enough and I do believe that.”
Clippers guard James Harden tries to energy his well beyond Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving throughout a playoff sport final season.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Occasions)
At one level final season, the Clippers had 4 stars they anticipated to lean on for the transfer into proprietor Steve Ballmer’s $2-billion venue, 4 future Corridor of Famers to make them related after ending in fourth place within the West.
Now they’re all the way down to only one to start out the season — James Harden, who’s 35 and going into his sixteenth season.
Nonetheless, the Clippers will want him to hold a lot of the offensive burden whereas Leonard is recovering from his knee concern.
“Yeah, we got to be smart about it. We’ve been talking about it, meeting about it, just making sure we don’t run him into the ground,” Lue stated of Harden. “When you lose a power player like Kawhi to start, you can see yourself playing James way more minutes than you need to. So, we just got to make sure we keep him healthy and make sure we’re doing the smart thing, and we’re still working on that right now as far as minutes and what we try to have to start the season.”
In Lue’s eyes, there additionally will probably be stress on him to maintain the group afloat and assist navigate the Clippers to allow them to nonetheless attain the heights they’ve attained.
He’s thought-about top-of-the-line coaches within the league, one thing the Clippers clearly agreed with as a result of they signed him to a five-year extension for $70 million, making Lue one of many highest-paid coaches within the affiliation.
“I always feel like every year I want to be better,” Lue stated. “I want get better every single year and, yeah, I put the pressure on myself to be good and be better and make sure our team has success. That’s my job.”
In some ways, the Clippers have been down this path earlier than and so they proved critics incorrect about their degree of success by making deep playoff runs, together with to the convention finals.
Throughout the 2021-22 season, when Leonard sat out everything recovering from a torn ACL in his proper knee and George performed in simply 31 video games due to a proper elbow damage, the Clippers nonetheless posted a 42-40 report, completed eighth within the West and made it to the play-in video games.
They misplaced to Minnesota after which to New Orleans, dropping that sport after George couldn’t play as a result of he had examined constructive for COVID.
Quick ahead to 2024-25 season and the identical situation seems to be unfolding.
“People are counting us out and don’t think we’re going to be a competitive team this year,” Norman Powell stated. “I think we’re definitely going to prove a lot of people wrong and people are going to join the bandwagon as the season goes along and they see how we play together, the play style and the talent that we do have on this team.”
Lue stated that his starters will probably be Harden, Powell, Terance Mann, Derrick Jones Jr. and Ivica Zubac.
For Powell, a beginning function is what he has yearned for.
He was one of many league’s prime sixth males final season, averaging 13.9 factors per sport whereas taking pictures 48.6% from the sector, 43.5% from three-point vary.
“I think just the opportunity to be a focal point night in and night out and what that entails. I’m looking forward to it,” Powell stated. “I don’t think it’s a bigger load, so to say. I think I prepare myself every year for an opportunity to be a guy that the team counts on night in and night out. So, I’m ready for the opportunity. I’m ready to help lead this team in whatever way the season is asking.”
Lue has by no means had a dropping season in his 4 years teaching the Clippers. He has taken them to the playoffs in three of the 4 seasons, reaching the Western Convention finals for the primary time in franchise historical past in 2021.
He received an NBA championship because the coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018.
Lue is aware of about profitable and the concept that the Clippers received’t win this season is overseas to him.
“It’s not a position I’m comfortable being in, but like I said, we’re going to compete and play hard and be good defensively,” Lue stated of their new underdog standing. “We’re going to win games and that’s going to be our main agenda.”
