There were high expectations for the Clippers the last five seasons because of the dynamic duo of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
That is not the case this season.
George skipped town, leaving the Clippers to join the Philadelphia 76ers, and Leonard, who has dealt with injuries during his tenure with the Clippers, will be out indefinitely because of inflammation in his right knee.
So, when the Clippers open the regular season Wednesday night at Intuit Dome, the franchise’s new $2-billion arena, against the Phoenix Suns, NBA critics say they should do so not expecting to contend for a top-six spot in the uber-tough Western Conference. At best, prognosticators say, the Clippers might be able to compete for one of the play-in spots.
The Clippers have heard all the noise and have chosen to ignore all those who say they shouldn’t have the same high expectations because of a once-again injured Leonard and the departure of George, the two stars who failed to lead the Clippers to a championship but made them competitive at all times.
“Our expectations are always high — to win,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. “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.”
At one point last season, the Clippers had four stars they expected to lean on for the move into owner Steve Ballmer’s $2-billion venue, four future Hall of Famers to make them relevant after finishing in fourth place in the West.
Now they are down to just one to start the season — James Harden, who is 35 and going into his 16th season.
Still, the Clippers will need him to carry much of the offensive burden while Leonard is recovering from his knee issue.
“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 said 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 also will be pressure on him to keep the team afloat and help navigate the Clippers so they can still reach the heights they have attained.
He’s considered one of the best coaches in the league, something the Clippers obviously agreed with because they signed him to a five-year extension for $70 million, making Lue one of the highest-paid coaches in the association.
“I always feel like every year I want to be better,” Lue said. “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 many ways, the Clippers have been down this path before and they proved critics wrong about their level of success by making deep playoff runs, including to the conference finals.
During the 2021-22 season, when Leonard sat out the entirety recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee and George played in just 31 games because of a right elbow injury, the Clippers still posted a 42-40 record, finished eighth in the West and made it to the play-in games.
They lost to Minnesota and then to New Orleans, losing that game after George couldn’t play because he had tested positive for COVID.
Fast forward to 2024-25 season and the same scenario appears to be unfolding.
“People are counting us out and don’t think we’re going to be a competitive team this year,” Norman Powell said. “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 said that his starters will be Harden, Powell, Terance Mann, Derrick Jones Jr. and Ivica Zubac.
For Powell, a starting role is what he has yearned for.
He was one of the league’s top sixth men last season, averaging 13.9 points per game while shooting 48.6% from the field, 43.5% from three-point range.
“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 said. “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 never had a losing season in his four years coaching the Clippers. He has taken them to the playoffs in three of the four seasons, reaching the Western Conference finals for the first time in franchise history in 2021.
He won an NBA championship as the coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2018.
Lue knows about winning and the idea that the Clippers won’t win this season is foreign 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 said of their new underdog status. “We’re going to win games and that’s going to be our main agenda.”