The Los Angeles Clippers had a baffling offseason that saw them let their second-best player Paul George leave in free agency after they repeatedly low-balled him. Now, they are seemingly stuck with a subpar roster led by Kawhi Leonard as they move into a new area.
To be clear, Leonard is a star, but his health continues to loom over the franchise. So much so that a recent report from a seemingly questionable source has put Clippers fans into a tizzy.
Saw this on China Weibo.
— L.T (@xries93) September 20, 2024
Kawhi Leonard China agent Coral state that :
“There might be some bad news, so let me give you a heads up. We'll have to wait and see what happens during the Clippers' media day.”
Any ideas? pic.twitter.com/R8fgvo4mqO
The source suggests that Clippers fans should brace for bad news surrounding their best player heading into media day, which is less than two weeks away. Leonard was forced to withdraw from Team USA this summer, missing out on a gold medal out of caution surrounding his knee.
He also missed all of the 2021-22 season with an ACL tear and previously missed 73 games in a season due to tendinopathy, a degenerative condition that affects tendons. Therefore, it's fair for Clippers fans to be concerned. Fortunately for Leonard, the Clippers, and their fans, everything seems to be ok.
A L.A. Clippers' insider puts to bed rampant rumors surrounding Kawhi Leonard.
Clippers insider Law Murray, who writes for the Athletic, responded to the rampant rumors surrounding Leonard, letting fans know that they shouldn't worry. His reassuring tweet helped to ease concerns about the Clippers' best player but not around the team itself.
Source close to Kawhi says Kawhi is fine
— Law Murray 💡 (@LawMurrayTheNU) September 20, 2024
Also, it’s 76 and mostly cloudy in LA today
Check back next week
Losing George hurts, as does losing Russell Westbrook, and the players that they replaced them with don't inspire confidence. They added Derrick Jones Jr., Kris Dunn, and Kevin Porter Jr., though they don't add up to George.
That means that they will have to rely more on James Harden. Harden's numbers dipped after being traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Clippers, averaging 16.6 points and 8.5 assists per game last season.
He could probably easily increase his offensive production to 20 points and even 10 assists per game, which should help L.A. Then again, he is 35 years old and that probably isn't sustainable even over his new two-year contract.
After winning 51 games last season, the Clippers are bound to take a step back. Considering that it took 49 wins to make the play-in tournament last season, they may struggle to hit that mark or even slightly below it.
All in all, George had 7.3 win shares last season, and even taking into account Harden and company picking up the slack, they may only finish with around a 46-36 record. That assumes that Leonard is healthy, which he seems to be now but it's hard to say if he will remain that way throughout the season.