Los Angeles Clippers: 3 takeaways from 2019 NBA offseason

1. They’re now the favorites to win the 2020 NBA Finals

At this point in the summer, most NBA fans are probably just trying to catch their breath. We’ve barely had time to think about actual games. Soon, however, we’ll actually need to start looking toward the season and who might survive the gauntlet.

For once, the NBA regular season will be must-see viewing nearly every night. In fact, seemingly every matchup will feature a superstar’s return to his previous arena. We’ll see Kawhi, Paul George, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, Kyrie Irving and Al Horford make homecomings of sorts, and that’s just a few.

We’d better get our popcorn ready and cue up NBA League Pass because the association will be as entertaining as it’s ever been.

Of all these teams in the West, from the Utah Jazz to the Portland Trail Blazers and Denver Nuggets, it’s gonna be a dogfight to advance to the NBA Finals. The best team is still in Los Angeles, and it’s clearly the Clippers.

When a team adds two of the top ten players in the league, they’re a contender. When it’s Leonard and George, two All-NBA talents being added to a team that just won 48 games, they’re Ithe favorite. It won’t be easy. Winning championships never is. But this is as complete a team as there is in the NBA.

Los Angeles will be able to deploy a defensive juggernaut on their opponent that has unmatched potential. With Patrick Beverley hounding the point, Leonard and George locking down the wings and Montrezl Harrell defending the paint, teams will find it difficult to establish any type of offensive rhythm against the Clippers.

The combined defensive win shares for Beverley, Leonard, George and Harrell in 2018-19 was 12.9. The foursome combined to win nearly 13 games last season on their defense effort alone, and now they’ll all be on the same squad. Yep, it’ll be difficult to get past them. We haven’t even discussed the offensive firepower Los Angeles will unleash with its two leaders coming off some of their best work.

This fall, for the first time probably in NBA history, the Los Angeles Clippers will enter the season as favorites to win the 2020 NBA Finals. We’re truly living in unprecedented times.