3 ways in which LA Clippers can line up without Kawhi Leonard in the 2021-22 NBA season

#2 Defensive-Focused

Phoenix Suns v LA Clippers - Game Four

While Kawhi Leonard was healthy, the trio of Leonard, George, and Morris were among the most switchable defensive lineups in the NBA. Throughout the majority of next season, the LA Clippers can still find a lineup with similar defensive potential.

Eric Bledsoe, Paul George, Justice Winslow, Marcus Morris, and Ivica Zubac.

Bledsoe has been the recipient of an absurd amount of ridicule throughout the last few seasons, primarily due to him tending to take a step down during the playoffs. Amid all the criticism, people seem to have forgotten that Bledsoe is a two-time All-Defensive player, with the most recent coming in 2018-19 when he was elected to the first team.

His concerns are valid, but his stocky frame paired with quickness makes for some impressive defensive ability. Paul George, Marcus Morris, Justice Winslow and the prototypical do-everything defensive wing. With all of them standing between 6'6" and 6'8", while possessing notable length and lateral quickness, they can switch between themselves with limited issues.

Winslow should be an intriguing player to keep tabs on this season, as he has been inconsistent and riddeled by injury but is still just 25 years old as he joins the LA Clippers.

While Serge Ibaka may be more capable of defending the perimeter, Ivica Zubac has molded himself into one of the best rim protectors in the league. I would be remiss to not include the 7'0" Bosnian big man in a defensive-focused lineup for the 2021-22 LA Clippers.

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#1 The potential closing five

Minnesota Timberwolves v LA Clippers

The most common lineups last season for the LA Clippers were Patrick Beverley, Paul George, Nicolas Batum, Kawhi Leonard, and Serge Ibaka. Outside of those five, the only other lineup to see more than 80 total minutes together were Reggie Jackson, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Marcus Morris, and Ivica Zubac. Those lineups logged 264 minutes and 215 minutes respectively.

Those were the clear two favorite combinations of players for LA Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue. Obviously, Kawhi Leonard will not be an option for most, if not all, of the 2021-22 season and replacing his production is no easy task.

With the difference between those lineups alternating between Beverly and Jackson at point, Batum or Morris for the final wing spot, and Zubac or Serge for the center, we can make a decent projection for this season's most common five. Beverley has gone to Minnesota, Batum and Morris can now share the floor with Kawhi sidelined, and take your pick of Zubac or Ibaka for the final spot.

Reggie Jackson, Paul George, Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum, and Ivica Zubac.

The big men in play will probably vary on a matchup basis, just as it did last season. If the opposition has a more traditional center in play, Zubac makes the most sense.

Jackson, George and Morris will all need an uptick in their offensive production in the absence of Kawhi Leonard, but they have all proven to be more than capable of doing so throughout stretches of their NBA careers.

Replacing the production of a player the caliber of Kawhi Leonard is never an easy task, but the LA Clippers could have the necessary personnel to do so while waiting for him to recover.