5 Reasons Why NBA Return Could Benefit the Clippers

However, things are beginning to look up around the league. Practice facilities are opening. State restrictions are being loosened. Locations for the safest possible return to action are being discussed. There is a growing optimism among players, management, and fans that the season is on its way back, and soon. But how does a return to play affect this season in the long term? Do non-playoff contenders even want to play? Is there an asterisk forever beside the name of whoever is crowned champion of this season? We dive into five reasons why a return to play could benefit the Clippers specifically.

5 Reasons A Return to Play Benefits the Clippers

1. Clippers Injuries

Paul George

The Clippers never had a chance at a fully healthy roster from the start. Newly acquired All Star forward Paul George was coming off of a notable dual shoulder surgery in the offseason. It was known well beforehand that PG wouldn’t be available from the jump, the only question was for how long? George would end up missing the first 11 games of the season before returning to action only to miss 10 out of 11 later in the season. For those keeping track, George missed a total of 22 games before the season was put on hold.

Kawhi Leonard

Dating back more than two seasons, Leonard has struggled with the health of his legs and knees. While his biggest battle may have been keeping his name out of the media, doctors diagnosed Leonard with a Degenerative Knee Injury that requires occasional rest. It’s up to you to believe whether it’s a true injury or a way to get out of back-to-backs. We’re going to believe the doctor’s note. Regardless, Kawhi set out at least one of every back-to-back series this season, along with missing about a week due to an unrelated injury. He went into the shutdown with 13 missed games under his belt. That’s a combined 34 missed games between the two Stars.

Supporting Cast

The injury bug proved to be contagious amongst the team. Although the absence of the two All Stars was felt the most, several rotation players struggled to stay on the court through the shortened season as well. In only 63 total games played: Landry Shamet missed 17, Patrick Beverley missed 16, and JaMychal Green missed 10. Even the reliable duo of Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell couldn’t make it through every game. Williams sat out only four times, while Harrell had a rare game missed due to illness.

2. Lack of Continuity to Begin With

If the NBA does come back, it will be a weird situation for everyone to finish out the season. Luckily for the Clippers, they’re no stranger to weird situations this season. It has been noted by head coach Doc Rivers on multiple occasions that the team has not had many off-day practices. This hopefully led to players being used to doing workouts on their own time, as has been the case during the shutdown.

More importantly is their ability to adapt on the court. Through injuries, signings, and trades, the Clippers fielded a league-leading 29 different starting lineups. For comparison, two of the other top contenders in the league combined for 19 total starting fives (Lakers – 8; Bucks – 11). The constant interchanging of roster availability is a testament not only to Doc Rivers, but also to the players’ ability to adapt to their surroundings. One can only believe this skill the team has been practicing all season will come in handy for whatever the resumption of the season may look like.

3. Clippers Leadership and Management

It is no secret that the Clippers have some of the best leaders in the league, on and off the court. With guys like Beverley and Leonard in their ear, you can bet that every player on this team will be locked and loaded when it comes time to play. This isn’t to say that other teams won’t be ready as well, but I wouldn’t stress about any Clippers losing focus during the break. Even from a management perspective, Steve Ballmer has proven himself to be one of the most motivated and involved owners in all of sports. Within days of the NBA being paused, workout equipment had been shipped to every player’s home. This way they could continue remote workouts either alone or virtually connected through Zoom or something similar.

4. Lou & Trez

Just looking at the numbers, games missed between George and Leonard leave a sore spot on this teams’ resume. It’s clear that this rest should benefit the health of the two All Stars. However, a certain bench duo might benefit from the break just as much.

Sweet Lou

Lou Williams has only missed four games on the season, but he’s not getting any younger. He has alluded to retirement on multiple occasions, saying he wants to finish his career with the Clippers. Even NBA players only have so many miles to give to the game, and this unprecedented event might just give Sweet Lou some extra gas in the tank. If the Clippers manage to win the title this season, it’s realistic to think that Williams will want to run it back next year to prove that this janky season wasn’t a fluke. If the Clippers don’t win this season – well, I think that speaks for itself.

Monsta Trez

Montrezl Harrell has become a staple in the Clippers game plan. His energy, tenacity, and raw strength off the bench have caused matchup nightmares for back up centers league wide. He rarely misses games, including only one missed this season. However, Trez is putting a ridiculous amount of strain on his body for being a bench player. More times than I can count on both hands, Harrell has found himself in the game midway through the 3^rd quarter. This isn’t an issue for a player of Harrell’s caliber.

The issue comes when he also finds himself playing the closing seconds of the game without having had a break other than between quarters and timeouts. 16+ minute stretches aren’t a healthy habit to get in to, especially not for someone that plays with the fire and motor that Harrell does. It might not show, but this break could be exactly what Trez needed to finish the season strong.

5. Clippers Contract Situation

The Clippers knew coming into this season how short their window was. A team doesn’t trade away six 1^st Round Draft Picks if they’re not trying to win now. Losing an entire year off of everyone’s contracts? That’s disastrous for the Clippers plans. The end of this season will see the contracts of Harrell, Marcus Morris Sr., Reggie Jackson, Patrick Patterson, and potentially JaMychal Green expire. Signing any of these players back, specifically Trez, will become a chore seeing as to how well they performed this season.

Then comes the tricky part. Even if the team manages to bring back all of their rotation players this summer, they still only have one true shot at the title before things start to change again. After the 2020-21 season, Kawhi and PG both have player options meaning they can terminate their contracts early and either leave or ask for more money (likely Super Max deals). Lou Williams becomes a free agent and at this point in his career may consider retirement. Landry Shamet and Mfiondu Kabengele are on a team options for the ’22 season, making them prime trade pieces. If this unable to resume, the pressure is jacked up to 100% for the Clippers to go all the way in 2020-2021.

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