NBA Insider lists the Clippers as one of the biggest losers of the preseason

The LA Clippers have been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons.

From the perspective of a well-known NBA insider, the organization is in complete disarray as the regular season begins.

“If you were hoping that the end of the preseason would provide clarity on Kawhi Leonard’s return schedule, then you should probably know better by now,” Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale wrote on Friday. “The 33-year-old has been suspended as a preventative measure. He is on the LA Clippers’ tournament schedule and is still not practicing with the team as he recovers from what we (essentially) believe to be ongoing inflammation of his right knee.

“Making the Western Conference without Kawhi playing in most games is never a reality the Clippers were prepared for. With Paul George in Philadelphia, they are even less prepared. 35-year-old James Harden is now the lifeblood of their offense – and potentially their entire team.

“What was already predicted to be a confusing, unpleasant and almost hopeless season for the Clippers is quickly evolving into something that will be very, very… muuuuch worse. Maybe this is a spontaneous overreaction. But given Leonard’s long list of past knee problems, it’s difficult to view what’s happening now as anything other than a harbinger of a dark and bleak 2024-25 season.”

The franchise’s ceiling plummeted after George was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in July. Sure, Harden is a valuable offensive weapon in the outfield, but he’s no longer the 30-plus point per game scorer from 2017-2020 who regularly torches defenders with his nasty double-step-back move.

Leonard missed four of the Clippers’ six postseason meetings in 2024 due to right knee inflammation. Still, the organization was confident the six-time All-Star and two-time NBA champion would appear in at least one preseason contest in 2024.

Unfortunately, Leonard was unable to suit up for Los Angeles in early to mid-October, and a recent report suggests the Clippers could be without the two-time Defensive Player of the Year for much of the regular season.

“LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard will be sidelined indefinitely at the start of the NBA season as he rehabs inflammation in his right knee,” ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Thursday.

Can the Clippers sneak into the playoffs with Harden on offense? Maybe, but in terms of a successful postseason, Los Angeles doesn’t have the skill set or superstar availability to be successful in the playoffs.

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