The Los Angeles Clippers fell short of their championship aspirations this season and will be back next year with the same core.
The Clippers were at the bad end of history as they squandered a 3-1 lead to close their series against the Denver Nuggets. Stephen A. Smith called it a major choke job.
There’s no denying that the Clippers were at the driver’s seat after leading the series from the get-go. However, they failed to seal the series, which is the more important thing to do.
They’ll look to bounce back next year with the same core team. The team will also need to make some adjustments based on their learnings this year.
Los Angeles Clippers core of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George
Entering this season, the Clippers were instant favorites to win it all. Unfortunately, the forecast was made too early. Many things happened along the way that ultimately led to the demise of the team.
On the flip side, they can raise their heads high because the team will still have Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in tow. They’ll have one more year to figure out what they need to do to win. If not, Leonard and George can choose to walk away after the 2021 offseason.
In other words, next year will be the championship or bust season that George mentioned during his exit interview from the Playoffs. They were fortunate that the same didn’t happen when live audiences are allowed in the stadium.
Who will be back? Who could walk away?
Next year, the main core of the Los Angeles Clippers will largely be intact. However, they could lose Montrezl Harrell because he’ll be a free agent. Harrell’s intangibles on the court are impeccable. Unfortunately, those weren’t needed when he had to face a real big man such as Nikola Jokic.
Montrezl was powerless against the nimble center of the Nuggets. The Clippers’ frontcourt was essentially powerless against what Jokic demanded on the floor. The same could be attributed as to why they lost the series.
The majority of the late signings of the Clippers could walk to another team during the offseason. The pack includes Marcus Morris, JaMychal Green, Reggie Jackson, and Patrick Patterson.
If these players sign with another team this offseason, the front office of the Clippers will be busy to fill in the void left in the paint. Only Ivica Zubac will remain, and that could potentially be a huge problem for the Clippers. As such, the team will need to make a move or another. Otherwise, the Clippers might end up failing again.
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