LA Clippers: 3 takeaways from their shorthanded situation

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 18: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers, Montrezl Harrell #5, Landry Shamet #20 and Patrick Beverley #21 talk during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on January 18, 2020 in New Orleans, Louisiana. 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 Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

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LA Clippers (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

The LA Clippers still have Kawhi Leonard and Paul George

Depth matters in the NBA, but top-end talent is what matters the most. Especially in the playoffs, the team with the best player usually wins, and the LA Clippers can out-talent almost any team with the services of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

While surely their championship chances dip ever so slightly with the losses of Harrell and Beverley (assuming they’re not able to return soon), the Clippers will still go just as far as Leonard and George take them, and not much further.

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In FiveThirtyEight’s most recent NBA forecast released on Tuesday afternoon, the Clippers had the NBA’s second-best title odds at 24 percent and the third-best chance to make the Finals at 36 percent. This was released before Beverley departed the bubble, but after Harrell did.

Hopefully, this duo and the rest of the absent Clippers are able to head back to the bubble to rejoin their team, but Leonard and George will be the greatest forces involved in winning. As long as they’re healthy and active, they’ll have a chance at getting deep into the playoffs and winning an NBA championship.

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