What the LA Clippers need to leave in 2016

If the LA Clippers want to be successful as the new year begins, these are a few things they need to leave behind in 2016.

Out of the gates, the LA Clippers went on a 14-2 run, and it was like they were walking on water. They were playing like the best team in the NBA, leading the conference and the league in win percentage at one point. But after playing nearly all of those games without more than one day between a game, the inevitable happened. The players got lazy, too comfortable, and sloppy. As DeAndre Jordan put it best to ESPN, “we started smelling ourselves.” The rough schedule began wearing on their bodies, and fatigue began to set in, whether they wanted to admit it or not. Then, Blake Griffin‘s knee happened, Chris Paul and J.J. Redick’s hamstrings, and most recently, Wesley Johnson‘s ankle. It seems like every single player is day-to-day. They have lost their way, and desperately need to find it.

The players have little to no control over injuries, and no control over the schedule, but neither of those are excuses for their losing skids. They are merely factors that must be worked around. There are plenty of things the Clippers can do better despite this series of unfortunate events. Now is the time to make adjustments, find new things that work, and push through this adversity.

There’s always going to be that narrative that the Clippers can only be defined in the postseason, which is fair. But there’s absolutely no reason for complacency during the thick of the regular season.

The definition of success for this team may be different from fan to fan, but if we want any form
of success in the playoffs, these are some things the Clippers need to leave behind in 2016 as they need ahead to the new year.