LA Clippers: A look into the recent troubles

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 11: Tobias Harris #34, Marcin Gortat #13, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 and Patrick Beverley #21 of the LA Clippers watch during a 123-99 Toronto Raptors win at Staples Center on December 11, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 11: Tobias Harris #34, Marcin Gortat #13, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2 and Patrick Beverley #21 of the LA Clippers watch during a 123-99 Toronto Raptors win at Staples Center on December 11, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
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(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

After a scorching hot 14-6 start to the season, the LA Clippers have lost a lot of momentum and are now 17-11. While a bad stretch for an NBA team is all but rare and it’s not necessarily time to hit the panic button, what’s behind the recent troubles?

The LA Clippers started out hot this season and solidified themselves as an elite team. They’ve fallen off slightly since then. Why is that?

From DeAndre Jordan shooting 74.8 percent from the free-throw line to the Houston Rockets having one of the worst records in the Western Conference, the NBA has been home to some very strange trends thus far.

The Clippers certainly contributed to the strangeness for a while as they were tied for first place in the West at one point in time despite not having a single All-Star on their roster.

After starting off with an impressive 14-6 record and beating some of the best teams in the league, the Clippers are now 17-11 on the season.

While this is still promising, the team has been overwhelmed as of late as they’ve lost five of their last eight contests. Furthermore, their last three losses have been by an average margin of 28.3 points.

Why is it that a team that a team so highly regarded to begin with is struggling to such a degree?

It may ultimately just turn out to be a bad stretch, but there are some fairly serious issues that play into why LA hasn’t been performing over the past few weeks.