Welcome to IAI Sports! And welcome to the 2022-23 NBA Season!
To begin the season, we will be running through each NBA team and analysing what they’ve done throughout the off-season. Each article will start off with an introduction, telling a story of how this team is where they are at today. We quickly delve into the results of the 2021-2022 NBA season, before diving into the off-season in’s and out’s.
From there, we go into depth discussing some of the important rotation pieces for the upcoming season, before finishing with a quick analysis of a team’s win totals and a full conclusion of why this team has completed these moves, what their win total will be, and my own predictions of breakout players and what to expect from this team. It’s a season preview series with the purpose of getting you up-to-date with what has happened throughout the league.
A season preview of each of the 30 teams will be released, leading up to the beginning of the NBA season. All data and information included in these articles have been gathered from Basketball Reference, NBA.com and ESPN.
Today’s team is the Los Angeles Clippers – one of the deepest teams in the NBA.
Introduction
The LA Clippers have historically been a poor performing franchise that have always fallen under the shadow of their neighbouring LA Lakers. They’ve struggled to draft, bring in and retain good players and coaches, so much so that they made the playoffs 7 times from 1971 to 2010. However, the franchise’s fortunes changed throughout the 2010s, thanks to Lob City.
Lob City was the nickname given to the Clippers’ trio of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, who took the league by storm. For the first time, the Clippers were the glitz and glamour of Los Angeles, where every night there were highlight dunk packages were produced by either Griffin or Jordan, while Paul threw up lobs, creating assists out of nothing and breaking ankles with his handles.
For all of the exciting basketball, the Clipper Curse still hung over the team – a franchise-long jinx on their post season, year after year. The Lob City Clippers were also helpless to break this curse, often falling apart thanks to circumstances out of their control. Despite having 6 consecutive playoff appearances, the team never got past the 2nd round thanks to injuries to Griffin in 2013, 2016 and 2017 and blown series leads (2014, 2016 and a 3-1 blown lead in 2015). Even with 6 regular seasons of success (averaging 52.2 wins a season), heartbreak always met the Clippers.
As a result, Paul, Griffin and Jordan were all promptly traded by the end of the 2018 season. The Clippers were able to make a run for the playoffs in 2019, thanks to the core of Tobias Harris, Lou Williams, Danilo Gallinari and Montrezl Harrell. Though hopeful, they lost to the eventual Western Conference-champion Golden State Warriors in the 1st round.
The current team was mostly thanks to the 2019 off-season. After leading the Toronto Raptors to their first ever title, Kawhi Leonard decided to sign with the LA Clippers, recruiting Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder to join with him. The team became theirs, and a new era of Clippers basketball began. Their first season together (2020) ended in heartbreak (as usual), as they lost in the 2nd round to the Denver Nuggets in 7 games.
After 7 seasons and another playoff disappointment, the team decided to move on from long-time head coach Doc Rivers. With new head coach Tyronn Lue, Leonard and George were able to get the Clippers to the Western Conference finals in 2021, for the first time in franchise history. However, the Clippers were missing Leonard for the series and lost in 6 games to the Phoenix Suns (ironically led by Chris Paul).
Last Season
Kawhi Leonard missed the series against the Phoenix Suns due to an ACL tear, which ruled him out for the entire 2022 season. Having one of the best players in the league put on ice for the season left the Clippers behind the other contenders in the Western Conference.
The team started the season strongly, getting to a 16-12 record due to the outstanding play of Paul George. He returned back to his prime, put the team on his back and got himself into early MVP contention. However, an elbow injury would restrict him to 32 games, missing the majority of the rest of the season. The Clippers, missing both of their superstars, made moves at the trade deadline focusing on next season. In a deal with the Portland Trail Blazers, they were able to acquire Norman Powell and Robert Covington, for Eric Bledsoe, Keon Johnson and Justise Winslow.
The Clippers hovered around .500 to finish at 42-40, good enough for the 8th seed in the Western Conference. Up against the Minnesota Timberwolves away from home in the play-in tournament, they couldn’t get the job done, losing by 4 points. Playing for the last spot in the playoffs against the New Orleans Pelicans, the Clippers couldn’t stop the duo of Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum, getting knocked out in straight sets and missing the playoffs entirely. The team maintained their offensive brilliance, ranking top 10 in offensive efficiency. But missing Leonard and George’s elite defensive skillsets, they ranked 25th in defensive efficiency.
Off-Season
Ins:
Moussa Diabate (43rd pick, NBA draft)
John Wall (free agency, originally with Houston Rockets)
Outs:
Isaiah Hartenstein (free agent, moved to New York Knicks)
Rodney Hood (free agent)
The Clippers made minimal, but impactful moves this off-season. Having traded this year’s 1st round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Paul George trade, the team only had their 2nd round pick, selecting Moussa Diabate 43rd overall. The team’s only free agency signing was to bring in John Wall after his buy-out with the Houston Rockets, as most of their cap space was used in the deadline deal for Norman Powell and Robert Covington. Important role players Nicolas Batum, Ivica Zubac and Amir Coffey all re-signed with the team as well.
After having a career season coming off the Clippers bench, Isaiah Hartenstein signed with the New York Knicks on a 2 yr/$16m deal. The Clippers also let unrestricted free agent, Rodney Hood, walk after being acquired in the Serge Ibaka deal last trade deadline. Overall, there was minimal player movement to and from the team. The Clippers clearly predict major gains with full seasons from superstars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
2022-23 Roster
Starting Five
PG – John Wall
| H: 6’3″ | W: 210lbs | Age: 31 |
| Contract: 2 yr/$13.3m | Years Pro: 10 |
Career Averages:
19.1 pts, 4.3 reb, 9.1 asts, 1.7 stls, 0.7 blks, 3.8 to, 43.1%/32.3%/77.9%, 35.6 mins
Averages Last Season:
N/A (Sat out last season)
2022-23 Projections:
14.0 pts, 2.4 reb, 4.0 asts, 0.8 stls, 0.5 blks, 2.7 to, 42.1%/32.3%/74.8%
A former 1st overall selection, John Wall’s career can be split into two halves. At one point, he was one of the premier Point Guards in the NBA, remarkably durable with explosive athleticism. More recently, the past five seasons has seen him play a combined 113 games due to a ruptured Achilles in 2019 and being forced to sit games after being traded to the Houston Rockets in the Russell Westbrook deal. Now healthy and with the contending LA Clippers, Wall has a real chance to re-establish his value on the court by playing.
SG – Norman Powell
| H: 6’3″ | W: 215lbs | Age: 29 |
| Contract: 4 yr/$74.5m | Years Pro: 7 |
Career Averages:
11.3 pts, 2.6 reb, 1.5 asts, 0.8 stls, 0.3 blks, 1.2 to, 46.3%/38.4%/83.1%, 22.4 mins
Averages Last Season:
19.0 pts, 3.2 reb, 2.1 asts, 0.9 stls, 0.5 blks, 1.5 to, 46.1%/41.9%/81.1%, 32.4 mins
2022-23 Projections:
15.8 pts, 2.9 reb, 1.8 asts, 0.9 stls, 0.3 blks, 1.4 to, 46.9%/41.1%/83.1%
Norman Powell has developed from a lightly used reserve to a valuable offensive weapon. His elite 3-point shooting, combined with the ability to dribble and create opportunities for himself, has translated into him becoming a trusted 18 points per game starter/6th man. He played 5 games for the Clippers last season after arriving from the Portland Trail Blazers at the trade deadline, and will be a welcome fresh face to this Clippers rotation.
SF - Paul George
| H: 6’8″ | W: 220lbs | Age: 32 |
| Contract: 2 yr/$88.1m | Years Pro: 12 |
Career Averages:
20.4 pts, 6.4 reb, 3.6 asts, 1.7 stls, 0.4 blks, 2.7 to, 43.5%/38.2%/84.8%, 33.6 mins
Averages Last Season:
24.3 pts, 6.9 reb, 5.7 asts, 2.2 stls, 0.4 blks, 4.1 to, 42.1%/35.4%/85.8%, 34.7 mins
2022-23 Projections:
23.1 pts, 6.6 reb, 5.1 asts, 1.6 stls, 0.5 blks, 3.5 to, 43.8%/37.9%/85.8%
Paul George has had a remarkable career since suffering that gruesome leg injury in 2014. Thanks to George’s offensive improvement, it has gotten him to 7 All-Star games and an All-NBA First team selection in 2019. His game is built around his suffocating defence, being awarded to four combined All-Defensive 1st and 2nd teams, as well as being the league leader in steals in 2019. He had to play as the #1 option last season, which saw his efficiency drop, turnovers rise, but assist numbers reach a career-high. This season, he will take a small step back with the inclusions of Powell, Leonard and Wall.
PF - Kawhi Leonard
| H: 6’7″ | W: 225lbs | Age: 31 |
| Contract: 2 yr/$88.1m | Years Pro: 10 |
Career Averages:
19.2 pts, 6.4 reb, 2.9 asts, 1.8 stls, 0.6 blks, 1.6 to, 49.3%/38.4%/85.8%, 31.3 mins
Averages Last Season:
N/A (ACL injury)
2022-23 Projections:
23.5 pts, 6.0 reb, 4.4 asts, 1.4 stls, 0.4 blks, 1.9 to, 49.5%/38.8%/87.7%
Kawhi Leonard’s resume speaks for itself. A 2-time NBA champion and 2-time Finals MVP, who has made 5 All Star appearances and appeared on 3 All-NBA First teams. Leonard is one of the greatest defenders of this generation, winning Defensive Player of the Year twice and appearing on a combined 7 All-Defensive First and Second teams. Not only this, his ability to put a team on his back, often being the #1 option on offence thanks to his high efficiency. He’ll be back this season after missing all of last due to a knee injury sustained in the 2021 playoffs.
C - Ivica Zubac
| H: 7’0″ | W: 240lbs | Age: 25 |
| Contract: 3 yr/$32.8m | Years Pro: 6 |
Career Averages:
8.3 pts, 6.5 reb, 1.1 asts, 0.3 stls, 0.8 blks, 1.1 to, 59.7%/10.0%/75.4%, 19.0 mins
Averages Last Season:
10.3 pts, 8.5 reb, 1.6 asts, 0.5 stls, 1.0 blks, 1.5 to, 62.6%/0.0%/72.7%, 24.4 mins
2022-23 Projections:
9.3 pts, 7.4 reb, 1.4 asts, 0.4 stls, 0.9 blks, 1.2 to, 62.5%/0.0%/75.0%
Ivica Zubac plays a very important role for this LA Clippers team. For starters, he is the only true 7’0” player on the roster currently (and has been at times throughout his career). He is valuable as a starting Centre that plays in short spurts, who can defend opposing 7’0” big men and be competitive for offensive and defensive rebounding. He plays his role as a highly efficient big man who can score in the paint and rebound at a high per-minute level.
Backups
G - Reggie Jackson
| H: 6’2″ | W: 208lbs | Age: 32 |
| Contract: 1 yr/$11.2m | Years Pro: 11 |
Reggie Jackson has transformed his career in his time with the Clippers. Once an important piece of a Detroit Pistons rebuild, he fell out of favour due to injury. Arriving at the Clippers as a low-risk, high-reward free agency signing, he was particularly important last season as the full-time starting Point Guard. He was a relied upon scoring option (albeit very inefficiently).
G - Luke Kennard
| H: 6’5″ | W: 206lbs | Age: 26 |
| Contract: 2 yr/$28.5m | Years Pro: 5 |
Luke Kennard shined in increased minutes last season after disappointing 2020 and 2021 seasons, trying to find his place on this stacked Clippers team. This past season, he led the league in 3-point percentage (44.9%) and is regarded as one of the best 3-point shooters in the league (career 42.5% from 3-point range). He will play an important role as a floor spacer for Leonard, George and Morris to create on offence.
F - Marcus Morris
| H: 6’8″ | W: 218lbs | Age: 33 |
| Contract: 2 yr/$33.5m | Years Pro: 11 |
With Leonard out all of last season, Marcus Morris played alongside George in the starting front court. The efficiency seen from him coming off the bench in 2021 disappeared, seeing large drops in field goal and 3-point percentage. He provided an important source of offence last season, being someone who can create his own shot off the dribble and through the low post. Morris will return to being the part-time starter with Leonard back into the rotation.
F - Nicolas Batum
| H: 6’8″ | W: 230lbs | Age: 33 |
| Contract: 2 yr/$22m | Years Pro: 14 |
Much like Jackson, Nicolas Batum has rebounded from obscurity to be an important member of this Clippers rotation. Though never living up to the massive contract signed with the Charlotte Hornets back in 2016, he has rebuilt his 3-point shot to an above-league-average mark. He also provides important rebounding numbers for a Small Forward (4.5 per game with the Clippers, 5.1 per game for his career).
F - Robert Covington
| H: 6’7″ | W: 209lbs | Age: 31 |
| Contract: 2 yr/$24m | Years Pro: 9 |
Throughout Robert Covington’s entire career, he has provided flexibility and an ability to adapt to whatever role the team needs him to do. He has predominantly played as a ball-stopping forward, but has played as a small-ball Centre during his time with the Houston Rockets. In a position-less system with the Clippers, he will fulfil a similar role, adapting as a forward/centre coming off the bench.
The Rest
11. Terance Mann (SG)
12. Amir Coffey (SG/SF)
13. Brandon Boston Jr (SG/SF)
14. Jason Preston (PG)
15.
T-W. Moussa Diabate (PF)
T-W. Moses Brown (C)
Season Projections
Sports betting agencies currently have the LA Clippers win totals sitting at 52.5 wins, equal 1st in the Western Conference and equal 2nd in the entire league. This is exactly where the Clippers should be ranked relative to the rest of the league. The team will improve with healthy additions of Leonard and George, and are one of the deepest teams in the league, so an improvement to their 9th ranking in the Western Conference last season will be inevitable.
Conclusion
Considering the circumstances and limited availability of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George last season, the LA Clippers did really well to have the 8th best regular season record in the Western Conference. The Clippers played through last season smartly; seeing what they had in younger prospects like Luke Kennard, Terance Mann, Amir Coffey and Brandon Boston Jr, giving them extended minutes, whilst also remaining in the mix for the playoffs so their experienced veterans would continue to produce at a high level.
It may have been a quiet off-season for the Clippers, but the trade deadline deal with the Trail Blazers demands closer examination. The key issue that stops the Clippers from acquiring talent is the lack of salary cap space to sign free agents. Being able to trade for the contracts of Norman Powell and Robert Covington – both winning basketballers – is why this Clippers team is the deepest in the competition. To bring in an elite shooter and offensive creator in Powell, and increase your wing depth with Covington, helps cover any potential loss of rotation pieces if the injury bug strikes again. And all this for the Trail Blazers to dump salary! Ultimately, the trade was a win-win, that both sides got what they needed done.
The free agency addition of John Wall is yet another low-risk, high-reward acquisition by the Clippers. Wall may never get back to his prime days in Washington, but has the opportunity to bounce back and be a crucial part of the Clippers quest for ultimate success. His career may take two very different paths: it could follow a Derrick Rose resurgence, where he becomes a very reliable bench guard after spending so much time away from the game. Or it could follow a Kemba Walker decline, where he never got back to his All-Star ability due to ravaging injuries. It’s going to be a defining year for Wall, if he can show a Derrick Rose-like resurgence, the Clippers will be championship favourites.
It’s also going to be a big year for both Leonard and George. Both missed significant portions of time due to injury and are of course keen to make the most of the prime of their careers. The Clippers underperformance last season was because of their 25th ranked defence – set to change with the return of Leonard and George. Both are so dominant that their inclusions back into the starting line-up will drastically improve both offensive and defensive efficiency.
Ultimately, this team played undermanned all of last year and were still only a win away from making the playoffs. The depth on this team is just ridiculous, having 12 rotation-calibre players. This isn’t even including Boston Jr and Jason Preston, who are highly-touted youngsters, long developing in the G-League. This depth will be very important this season. The team will make sure that their stars can get through the regular season unscathed, before making a deep playoff push.
I’m predicting this team to go above the betting agencies win totals and get to 54 wins this season. Leonard will be lucky to play 60 games this year, but those games will be meaningful enough to show why he is a top 10 player in this league. I’m expecting George to continue from last season and be a borderline MVP candidate – leading the way to begin the season as Leonard slowly returns from injury. It’ll take some time for Wall to adjust into this new era of his career, which I’m hoping will look along the lines of Derrick Rose’s reincarnation; where he moves his play style away from relying on the pure athleticism of his past. He’ll need to build a reliable outside shot and be a steady hand playmaking-wise. Expect this defence to return to a top 5 level, now that Leonard and George will be back.