Predicting Clippers' record after 2024-25 season schedule release
09/13/2024 01:35 AM
The 2024-25 season marks a new beginning for the Los Angeles Clippers franchise. Gone are the days where they’re sharing a home with the big-brother team in the city, the Los Angeles Lakers. They now have their own stomping grounds, with Intuit Dome set to welcome a new-look Clippers team that’s looking to move past a very disappointing era of hoops.
The 213 Era for the Clippers has come and gone, and it has borne little in the way of fruits. Nonetheless, as necessary as it is sometimes to say goodbye for the long-term health of the franchise, there are difficult consequences in the short-term that will be plaguing the Clippers. They are a worse team than last season, no questions asked, following the departure of Paul George for the Philadelphia 76ers via free agency.
The Western Conference did not get any easier. The Memphis Grizzlies appear to be back at full strength, the Houston Rockets are on an upward trajectory, the Golden State Warriors added a ton of depth, and that’s only talking about some of the teams that missed the postseason last year but are likely to make a push for the playoffs this year.
Meanwhile, the Clippers’ two stars are only getting older. James Harden transformed the Clippers last season and was their best player in the playoffs, but he’s already 35 years old and has shown obvious signs of decline. Moreover, Kawhi Leonard’s health was not able to hold up for an entire season, as he was a shell of himself in his brief cameo during the Clippers’ short-lived 2024 playoff run.
An injury to Harden or Leonard would be death to the Clippers’ playoff hopes. Aside from Harden, Leonard, and Norman Powell, who else could the team rely on to consistently create offense for the team?
Clippers fans may be in for a rude awakening next season, especially considering the difficult schedule they have to begin the year.
The first few weeks of the season will be crucial
This is not to say that the first 10 or so games for the Clippers are already make-or-break with regards to their hopes of making it to the playoffs. But there is a good chance that the Clippers start off the season with a 3-7 or 2-8 record, which might mean death given how competitive the Western Conference is.
Their first three games will be coming against the Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, and Golden State Warriors. They should be the underdog for all of those games. Following a bit of a breather against the Portland Trail Blazers, they will be facing the Suns, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers, and Sacramento Kings — all difficult opponents, including the first game of Paul George at Intuit Dome. Their 10-game stretch to begin the year will then end with a home game against the Toronto Raptors.
In those 10 games, they might be the favorite to win in just three of them (Blazers, Spurs, Raptors). They simply may not have enough offensive firepower to keep up with the other teams on a consistent basis. They will need herculean efforts from Kawhi Leonard and James Harden night after night, and given their injury history and age, respectively, that may be too big of an ask.
There are simply very few matchups out in the West wherein the Clippers should be considered the favorite on a given night. There seems to be a great sense of misunderstanding as to just how impactful the loss of George is for the team, especially during a long regular season grind in which Leonard is almost guaranteed to miss a chunk of time due to injury woes.
Mark these dates on your calendars, Clippers fans
On November 7, the Clippers will be hosting Paul George and the 76ers at Intuit Dome in what will surely be a hostile crowd. 19 days later, they will be headed to Beantown for their first matchup of the season against the reigning champion Boston Celtics.
Their first contest of the year against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks will come all the way on December 20; that will be an away game, and the Clippers, of all teams, know how loud the crowd at American Airlines Center can be.
But perhaps the most anticipated matchup for Clippers fans, as always, is the tussle against crosstown rival Lakers. Their first meeting of the campaign will be held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day (January 20, 2025), and it is Intuit Dome that will be hosting this game.
Can LA maintain their playoff spot in the loaded West?
Last season, the Clippers finished fourth in the conference with a 51-31 record. It feels safe to bet that they won’t hit that number of wins next season. They remain a well-coached team with solid defenders up and down the roster, but offense may be the problem. Outside of James Harden and Kawhi Leonard, they don’t have a reliable source of shot-creation both for one’s self and for others.
Norman Powell can create a ton of buckets on his own, and Kevin Porter Jr. could be a reliable source of playmaking, but relying on either to soak up a ton of responsibility on offense doesn’t feel like a reliable recipe for success.
There will be nights when the Clippers fire on all cylinders, with Harden and Leonard clicking and the role players hitting their shots. But role players are role players for a reason, as their shot tends to be more inconsistent compared to those who assume superstar duties for the team. But their roster construction at present should also leave them vulnerable to plenty of woeful offensive nights, especially when Harden walks the ball up the court and the offense takes time to initiate.
It will boil down to how they perform against teams within their division. They had the Suns’ number last season, they have had the Lakers’ number over the past decade or so, while there is nothing much that separates them from the Kings and Warriors. The Clippers have surpassed expectations in the past, but it’s best to be very cautious in projecting how high they finish in the loaded West.
The post Predicting Clippers’ record after 2024-25 season schedule release appeared first on ClutchPoints.
