The Los Angeles Clippers entered this season with legitimate expectations. After pushing a tough first-round series to seven games last spring-thanks largely to a vintage Kawhi Leonard performance-there was a sense that, if healthy, this team could finally make a real run.
But a quarter of the way through the season, that optimism has all but vanished. The Clippers are sitting near the bottom of the Western Conference standings at 5-15, and even with Kawhi back in the lineup, the problems run far deeper than one superstar can fix.
Let’s start with the good-because yes, there is some. Kawhi Leonard has looked like himself since returning from a foot and ankle injury.
He dropped 39 points against the Grizzlies on November 28, then followed that up with 30 against the Mavericks the very next night. But the Clippers lost both games.
And these weren’t losses to juggernauts-Memphis and Dallas aren’t even in the top eight of the West right now. That’s part of what makes this so concerning.
James Harden, for his part, is putting up strong numbers: 27.7 points and 8.9 assists per game. On paper, if you’re just looking at the box scores, you’d think the Clippers are a top-tier squad. But the reality is, they’re not even close.
The real issue? Defense. Or more accurately, the lack of it.
Last season, the Clippers were one of the stingiest defenses in the league. They finished third in defensive rating at 109.4, a mark that helped keep them competitive even when the offense sputtered.
This year? They’ve fallen off a cliff.
LA is currently posting a defensive rating of 119.4-25th in the league. That’s not a small dip; that’s a complete collapse.
Sure, Derrick Jones Jr. returning to the lineup could help on the perimeter. He brings length, energy, and some much-needed athleticism.
But let’s be honest-he’s not a cure-all. The Clippers are an older team, and they’re showing it.
They lack the quickness to keep up with younger, faster opponents, and their rotations have been a step slow all year.
And here’s the kicker: even if things somehow turn around, the Clippers don’t have their 2026 first-round pick to fall back on. That pick belongs to the Oklahoma City Thunder, part of the long chain of assets moved in the Paul George deal.
So there’s no tanking for a top lottery prize in what’s shaping up to be a loaded draft class. The Clippers are stuck in a tough spot-struggling now, with no clear path to rebuild later.
To make matters worse, there’s still an ongoing NBA investigation into whether the team played a role in facilitating Kawhi Leonard’s no-show sponsorship deal with Aspiration. Both Leonard and the organization have denied any wrongdoing, but the cloud of uncertainty doesn’t help an already spiraling season.
Remember that season-opening blowout loss to the Jazz? A 129-108 drubbing that felt like a fluke at the time?
Turns out, it was more like a warning shot. That game set the tone for what’s become a frustrating, disjointed campaign-one that’s veering dangerously close to lost-season territory.
The Clippers "won" the offseason, at least on paper. But as we’re seeing now, the real test comes when the games start counting. And right now, LA is failing that test-badly.