The Los Angeles Clippers lost 135-118 in the NBA Cup to their in-city rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers, on November 25. It seems pretty clear, at 5-13, that the Clippers’ season is trending toward catastrophe, especially when Kawhi Leonard does not seem ready to save them.
Injuries were always going to be a concern with this version of the Clippers, given their age and Leonard’s history with load management. But beyond Leonard playing only his eighth game against the Lakers, Bradley Beal is already out for the season, and Chris Paul announced this will be his final season.
Now that the concerns around the Clippers’ age and the team’s depth has become a reality, head coach Ty Lue said to the media, “I know a lot of people say ‘next man up’ but if [your best player] is making $60 million and your next man is making $400,000, it’s not really the same.”
Lue made these comments before the game against the Lakers, and they definitely sound like a shot at someone in the organization, the front office, or Leonard.
Kawhi Leonard Is Not Close to Himself Right Now
GettyKawhi Leonard driving on LeBron James
A big reason why Lue’s comment feels like it is a shot at Leonard is that he is making $50 million this season, taking the biggest chunk out of the Clippers’ cap space. Despite that, he is averaging 23.1 points in his eight games, and the two-time Defensive Player of the Year has fallen short on that end.
On The Athletic NBA Daily show, Law Murray had some strong words about Leonard. Murray said, “It’s getting late early for the Clippers, and a big reason is that their defense is terrible. And it’s shocking that Kawhi Leonard is part of one of the very worst defenses in basketball right now.”
Defense has been a massive issue for the Clippers, as they rank 19th in points allowed per game and 25th in defensive rating at 121. Furthermore, they have allowed some of the biggest performances against the league’s best players. For example, Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, and LeBron James combined for 99 points, getting anything they wanted against the Clippers.
Can Leonard at Least Offer Support on Offense?
GettyKawhi Leonard (left) and James Harden (right)
In that same podcast, Murray also said something very interesting at the start. In referring to James Harden, Murray said, “One [Harden] is the loneliest number, that dude Two [Leonard] got to get back to being two.”
Harden’s jersey number is #1, while Leonard wears #2, and Harden has clearly been the best player on the Clippers. Harden is averaging 27.9 points and 8.4 assists per game, leading the Clippers in both stats. On top of that, out of the Clippers’ five wins, Harden had to carry the team in two of them. He scored 55 points in a win over the Charlotte Hornets on November 22 and 44 against the Dallas Mavericks on November 14.
If this is how the Clippers’ defense will look, Leonard will need to step it up on offense. He scored 19 against the Lakers, but it was his second game back after missing 10. The Clippers’ next game is against the Memphis Grizzlies, another team with its own issues. Maybe Leonard can support #1 (Harden) a little better in that game, despite it being the first of a back-to-back.
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