Some pundits in the national media seemed to think that the Los Angeles Clippers could be a dark horse team in the NBA’s Western Conference this season. But the Clippers have lost four games in a row, including back-to-back games to the rebuilding Phoenix Suns, and they currently hold a 3-6 record.
Reality seems to be settling in for them, and the reality is that they have a roster that lacks offensive firepower and youth. To make matters worse, star forward Kawhi Leonard‘s often-injured body is acting up again. He missed the team’s last three games in a row, and it could be a bit of time before he returns to game action.
Per AP News, head coach Tyronn Lue said that Leonard will be out for “the next few games” due to a sprained ankle. Lue was vague when talking about Leonard’s injury and his timetable.
Leonard has been the Clippers’ lynchpin ever since he arrived in free agency six years ago. So far this season, the 34-year-old has averaged 24.3 points on 50.5% field-goal shooting and 40% from 3-point range, 5.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 steals a game. He may not be the same force he was several years ago, but he is still a bona fide star on both ends of the floor.
However, he has been unable to stay healthy for long, sustained periods of time for several years now. He appeared in just 37 games last season, and he hasn’t played in as many as 70 games in a single season since the 2016-17 campaign. The two-time NBA Finals MVP seems to be a lock to miss at least roughly 15 to 20 games each year due to load management.
When Leonard arrived in 2019 along with fellow star forward Paul George, it was widely expected that the Clippers would quickly go on to win at least one world championship. But they have reached the Western Conference finals only once and have failed to win a single playoff series since 2021.
George left in free agency in the summer of 2024, and L.A. now has an old roster, not to mention a lack of draft picks for the rest of the decade, as it gave up six first-rounders to get George, as well as two first-rounders and two second-rounders to acquire former MVP James Harden.
One of the first-round picks it surrendered for George became rising star forward Jalen Williams, and, of course, Los Angeles also sent out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA’s reigning MVP and scoring champion, in that same trade. That trade is now looking like one of the worst and most ill-advised ones in recent memory.
2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.