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2019-20 NBA season: Record predictions for every team

By Christopher Kline

PLAYA VISTA, CA - SEPTEMBER 29: Los Angeles Clippers Forward Kawhi Leonard (2) and Los Angeles Clippers Forward Paul George (13) pose for a photo during media day at the Los Angeles Clippers Training Center on September 29, 2019 in Playa Vista, California. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
PLAYA VISTA, CA - SEPTEMBER 29: Los Angeles Clippers Forward Kawhi Leonard (2) and Los Angeles Clippers Forward Paul George (13) pose for a photo during media day at the Los Angeles Clippers Training Center on September 29, 2019 in Playa Vista, California. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /

LA Clippers

The LA Clippers won 48 games last season. They have since (roughly) swapped Danilo Gallinari and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Others joining the roster include Maurice Harkless, Patrick Paterson and Rodney McGruder.

Of the Western Conference teams, L.A. has the most depth and the highest talent concentration. They also have one of the best coaching staffs in basketball. If I had to pick a 2020 champion right now, it’d be the Clippers. Kawhi is primed for back-to-back championship runs.

What keeps the Clippers in the No. 2 seed is continuity, an advantage Denver has. The Clippers, even with several returning members, will need to work Kawhi and George into the mix. The latter won’t appear until November, so his adjustment might take longer than others.

Another factor is load management. While the Clippers seem determined to give Kawhi a full workload, it’s inevitable that Kawhi will spend a handful of games on the pine. He’s too valuable, with too much injury history, to throw a full 82-game load at.

The Clippers are a tough, scrappy team looking to make a statement. There’s a chance I look foolish for cheating L.A. out of the top spot — a rather good chance, actually. But in the end, the Clippers are playing the long game. How the team looks in the postseason is more important than how the team looks in December.

In the West, a conference of bitter rivals, immense talents, and marketable brands, it’s L.A.’s less popular team that has the clearest path to title contention. The Clippers are a well-rounded group — not perfect, but perfectly capable of plugging holes and outgunning opponents.

Final prediction: 54-28, No. 2 seed Western Conference