Can the Clippers Claim the West?

James Harden was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers on October 20th, 2023. Following his debut, the Clippers lost 5- games in a row, raising questions about his fit on the team. Things were rough to begin the Harden era in Los Angeles, but as of December 2nd, the Clippers are on an 8-game win streak.

The Clippers' 8-game win streak is impressive for several reasons. 5 of the 8 teams they beat are in playoff contention as of right now. 2 of their wins come from the Golden State Warriors, who are more likely than not going to be a playoff team when the season ends. The Los Angeles Clippers are 8-2 in their last 10 games and have the longest win streak in the NBA. Although they are 4.5 games behind the 1-seed, they are only 2.5 games behind the 2nd seed.

The Problem with the Clippers was never their defense. The main problem was scoring. Although they have 4 Hall of Famers, they didn’t seem comfortable playing together. In November, they were 26th in PPG. In December, they are 4th in PPG. They have jumped 22 teams this month. For the season, the Clippers are 11th in offensive rating, 7th in defensive rating, 5th in Net Rating, and 10th in True Shooting Percentage. If you are into advanced analytics, then you will understand how impressive these stats are.

In the last 10- games, Kawhi Leonard is averaging 29.1 PPG with a 63% Field Goal percentage, Paul George is averaging 19.1 PPG while shooting 40% from three, and James Harden is averaging 20.5 PPG with 9.1 assists. These numbers are extremely telling of how well the Clippers' big three are playing together as of late.

The most important thing when it comes to the Clippers’ is availability. Whether you deem it to be fair or not, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are seen as the faces of load management. The Clippers' star duo hasn’t had a healthy playoff run since the NBA bubble in 2020. So far this season, Kawhi Leonard hasn’t missed a single game, and Paul George has only missed 1 game. If the Clippers’ star players can stay healthy throughout the entirety of the NBA season and the playoffs, there is a good chance they can win an NBA championship.