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The Los Angeles Clippers emerged as the biggest winners from the NBA free agency. Jerry West once again displayed his mettle as one of the best executives in the league getting both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to join the Los Angeles Clippers.
The Clippers finished last season with a 48-34 record and pushed a healthy Golden State Warriors to six games in the first round of the playoffs. They managed to retain their core of Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell while also adding two superstars in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Lou Williams was fantastic for the Clippers. He was especially superb in the fourth quarter of the matches and once again won the Sixth Man of the Year award.
The Clippers have the best odds of winning the championship next season. Kawhi Leonard is probably the best player in the NBA right now. Paul George finished 3rd in the MVP voting last season.
Let's have a SWOT analysis of the LA Clippers:
Strengths: Depth of the roster
The LA Clippers boast of one of the best rosters in the NBA. They have the superstar power of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard and a great supporting cast featuring Lou Williams, Beverley, Harrell, Shamet, etc.
Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are also arguably the best two-way players in the league. They can be a formidable duo in the league. Since they don't run many plays for their team, Lou Williams can bring the ball forward and run plays.
The Clippers also possess one of the best coaches in the league in Doc Rivers. Rivers already has a championship with the Boston Celtics. He will be fancying his chances of winning a championship again with the current roster of the Los Angeles Clippers.
Weaknesses: Lack of playmakers
The Clippers have some great scorers and some great defenders. But they don't have an elite point guard who can run plays for the team.
Kawhi Leonard won the 2019 NBA Finals MVP. He has improved his offensive game brilliantly but is still not good at playmaking. He is an inefficient distributor of the ball. Paul George is a great two-way player but he has not shown much ability to get his teammates involved because of his passing.
Lou Williams is a primary scorer. Beverley plays off the ball most of the times and isn't famous for his offensive game. The Clippers may struggle in tight situations since they don't have a great distributor of the ball. They have great firepower on offense. Leonard, George, Williams can all score buckets at will. But they might find it difficult to get their other teammates involved.
Opportunities: No clear cut favorite for the title
This NBA off-season saw the departure of Kevin Durant from the Golden State Warriors. Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, and Quinn Cook who all played very crucial roles in the championship pursuits of the Warriors also left the organization. The NBA no longer has a clear-cut favorite for the title. The teams look pretty evenly matched on paper.
The Clippers have a very good supporting cast and look like the best bet for the ring. Jerry West and Doc Rivers are two of the best minds in the business. They give the Clippers an edge over the other teams in the NBA.
Kawhi Leonard has already won rings with two different teams. He will be trying to become the first player in NBA history to win rings with three different teams. Paul George is coming off an MVP level campaign. The Clippers have a legitimate shot at winning the title next season.
Threats: The re-emergence of the Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers didn't even make the playoffs last season. Despite that, the Los Angeles Lakers are one of the firm favorites for the title this season. They boast two of the finest players in the NBA in their team.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis form the best duo in the NBA at the moment. They are two generational talents capable of changing the landscape of the entire NBA. The Lakers have managed to put them together on the same roster.
They have also surrounded them with a very good supporting cast. Kyle Kuzma will be eyeing a breakout year. DeMarcus Cousins is working hard to once again become a dominant force in the NBA. Avery Bradley and Danny Green are the perfect 3 and D players to compliment the duo of James and Davis.
The Clippers will be facing their biggest threat from their hometown rivals in Los Angeles.
Guess the Lakers players!
