Clippers player poised to shock NBA with breakthrough 2024-25 season

The Los Angeles Clippers are entering a new era ahead of the 2024-25 season. The Clippers will part ways with the Los Angeles Lakers as they will play in their own arena, the Intuit Dome.

While it is an exciting time with their new arena, they will be without Kawhi Leonard for an indefinite period of time. Leonard has struggled to stay healthy and his knee injury will prevent him from starting the season.

Leonard is one of the NBA’s best two-way players on the floor. The 33-year-old forward averaged 23.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game. He shot 52.5 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from three and was named All-NBA Second Team.

Without Leonard, Los Angeles will rely on its other star, James Harden. It’s no longer a big three as Paul George moved to the Philadelphia 76ers and with Leonard also out, Harden will be the first option to start the season.

In 72 games with the Clippers during the 2023-24 season, Harden averaged 16.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 8.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game. The experienced guard shot 42.8 percent from the floor and 38.1 percent from deep. Harden was more of a facilitator in his first season with Los Angeles, but this season he should play a larger role as a scorer.

Even though Harden is no longer the same scorer he was in his prime with the Houston Rockets, he can still score at a high level. However, Harden will need the role players around him to step up. With that in mind, here is the Clippers player who will shock the NBA with a breakout 2024-25 season.

Terance Mann will break out this season

Terance Mann has been a solid role player for the Clippers but has a chance to break out this season. Mann was primed for a bigger role with the departure of George, but given Leonard’s absence they will need a lot from the 28-year-old winger.

Mann averaged 8.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists while shooting 51.5 percent from the field and 34.8 percent from downtown. He provides the Clippers with quality defense and guards opposing teams’ wings.

However, Mann has a chance to take the next step in his game and become an offensive threat. As the season begins, Los Angeles will rely on role players like Mann to step up as a scorer. Mann has shown throughout his career that he is a solid scorer. In the 2021 playoffs, Mann scored 39 points in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Utah Jazz, helping them advance to the Western Conference Finals.

Mann has proven he can score big, and the Clippers will need that. He has the tools to excel at all three levels, but he has to put it all together. With Harden the only solid scorer to start the season, Mann will have plenty of opportunity to contribute on offense.

Los Angeles trusted Mann when they signed him to a three-year, $47 million contract extension this offseason. With the Clippers needing someone to step up, expect Mann to have a career year.

The Clippers have a difficult road ahead in the highly competitive Western Conference. Starting the season with your best player on the sidelines indefinitely is not a good start. Los Angeles also does not own its first-round pick in the 2025 draft, as the Oklahoma City Thunder have the rights to the pick. The Clippers need Mann and others to have breakout seasons to have a chance at a playoff spot in the West.