Since the calendar flipped to November, only two NBA teams have managed fewer than three wins. One is the Washington Wizards - a team in the early stages of a full rebuild.
The other? The Los Angeles Clippers, a franchise that was supposed to be chasing a championship, not lottery odds.
Let’s be clear: the Wizards are doing exactly what they set out to do. They’re young, inexperienced, and focused on the long game.
The Clippers, on the other hand, were built to win now. And yet, they’ve been playing like a team that’s already packed it in.
Clippers Collapse in Miami
Monday night in Miami was just the latest chapter in a month-long slide. The Clippers started the game competitively, even holding a two-point lead midway through the second quarter.
But then the Heat caught fire - literally. They rattled off a 20-0 run, and after a brief interruption from two Ivica Zubac free throws, Miami tacked on another 10 unanswered points.
They opened the second half with a 9-0 burst. That’s a 39-2 run if you’re keeping track - and the Clippers weren’t.
With more than 22 minutes left in the game, Ty Lue pulled his starters. But if we’re being honest, the white flag had already been raised. The Clippers weren’t contesting shots, weren’t rotating with urgency, and certainly weren’t playing with the kind of pride you’d expect from a veteran-laden roster.
This didn’t look like a team getting outplayed. It looked like a team that just stopped trying.
The Effort Gap
The numbers back it up. The Clippers have been poor defensively, posting a 120 defensive rating overall.
That’s bad. But it gets worse when you break it down by halves.
In first halves, they’re giving up 117.6 - still not good, but at least serviceable. In second halves, that number jumps to 123.5, the second-worst in the league.
That’s a team that’s letting go of the rope when things get tough.
The drop-off is especially glaring considering the makeup of this roster. This isn’t a group of G-Leaguers trying to find their footing.
These are seasoned pros - All-Stars, champions, and Olympians. But instead of leaning on that experience, the Clippers have looked more like a team going through the motions.
Numbers Tell a Confusing Story
Now, the Clippers’ stats aren’t great - but they’re not this bad. In November, they ranked 18th in field goal percentage, 15th in three-point shooting, and a strong third in free-throw percentage. That’s not elite, but it’s enough to compete.
Where things really fall apart is in the hustle stats - the ones that reflect effort and cohesion. They had the fewest assists in the league last month, were third-worst in rebounding, and averaged nearly twice as many turnovers (15.6) as steals (7.9). That’s not just sloppy basketball - that’s disconnected basketball.
Their offensive rating ranked 18th, and their defense was 27th - both below average, but not bottom-of-the-barrel. And certainly not the kind of numbers that should lead to a 2-14 record since Halloween.
Harden’s Lone Spark
James Harden, for his part, has been doing his job. He averaged 29.8 points and 8.5 assists in November and has looked like the only Clipper playing with consistent urgency. But one man can only do so much, especially when the rest of the team seems stuck in neutral.
Chris Paul, who just announced his retirement at age 40, might not have had much left in the tank - but watching the current Clippers, you’d be forgiven for wondering if even a 40-year-old CP3 might offer more resistance than what we’ve seen lately.
What’s Next?
The hope, maybe, is that Ty Lue’s decision to rest his starters for nearly an entire half will pay dividends later - fresher legs, clearer minds. But that only works if the team is willing to fight. And right now, that’s the biggest question facing the Clippers.
It’s not about talent. It’s not about age.
It’s not even about the numbers. It’s about whether this team is willing to compete.
Because if the last month is any indication, the answer has been a resounding no.
And for a team that was built to contend, that’s the most troubling stat of all.