After a victory over the Lakers, the Clipperholics writers get on Slack for a roundtable discussion about the state of the team.
After an electrifying win over the Lakers while on the second game of a back-to-back, the LA Clippers have, for all intents and purposes, knocked their neighboring rivals out of playoff contention, opening up a world of possibilities for their own future. So once again, the Clipperholics writers get on Slack for a roundtable discussion about the state of the team.
For those of you unfamiliar with our Slack Chat series, Logan Rapp moderates a discussion regarding the LA Clippers. Contributors and Site Experts all join in to talk about not just the team, but the league as a whole. It’s safe to say that a win against the LeBron James-led Lakers in a must-win game merits discussion.
Best Team in LA
Logan Rapp: Well, y’all. The Clippers forgot to tank. How’s it feel repping the Best Team in LA?
Seth Kimbrell: Absolutely fantastic. Those of us who thought we were lottery bound for sure were obviously underestimating this team’s hustle.
Matt Chong: I love it. The Clippers were vastly underrated at the beginning of the season and it’s been very fun watching them show that they mean business. Draft pick be damned, this squad is all about competing. They wouldn’t dream of taking even a single play off (wink).
Rapp: The underestimation is really brought into stark relief when you consider that Westgate put the over/under for the Clippers at 35.5, and the Lakers at 48.5.
I don’t think those win total projections are gonna go full on Freaky Friday switch, but it’s wild how those destinies have been flipped.
Kimbrell: A lot of us thought that we had gotten much worse after the Tobias Harris trade, but going by NBA stats, since the first game that our new guys played in, the Clips are 5th in the league in scoring, and 11th in rebounding. Before the break, we were 7th in scoring and 15th in rebounding.
No Tanks
Chong: The fact that the Clippers are showing out while the Lakers are simultaneously being exposed makes things all the sweeter. Yeah, Seth. The narrative that the Clippers were supposedly mailing it in after the Tobias trade has been a fun one to see die.
Kimbrell: It has been. I’ll be the first to say I was proven wrong after All-Star break.
Chong: They’ve yet to even really reap the benefits for all of the assets gained in their trade-deadline moves with Wilson Chandler sidelined and the 2021 Miami pick looming large.
Kimbrell: And I feel like I can’t stop yelling that our bench scores more than any bench as far back as NBA stats go.
Rapp: Which brings up an interesting point: A big reason why folks had thought missing the playoffs was in the Clippers’ future was because if they didn’t, next year’s pick would go to Boston. And it doesn’t seem like anyone in the Clippers organization cares.
Kimbrell: Maybe the thinking is, if we have big plans in free agency, and so much young talent already, do we have room for the 12th or 13th pick on our roster?
Rapp: With cap space being very tight to get two max players and retaining what players they want to keep (see: Patrick Beverley), being locked in with another $3 million rookie might be rough on the ledger.
Chong: I feel like having tanked for the pick would have been a bad look for a team trying to attract free agents in the summer anyway.
Kimbrell: Right. And if all the moons and stars align and we get 2 max players, our timeline suddenly goes from develop more young guys, to compete now.
Rapp: First it was to fully tank, then it became “show you’re competitive, then trade off assets at the deadline, and then tank,” and now it’s “well, you’re gonna get knocked out in the first round, I guess.” While I have no illusions that the Clippers are a championship team, I don’t think a first-round knockout is a guarantee. It depends on match-ups and, as always, health.
Chong: For this team, I think that as long as they’re competing and giving it their full effort, most people will be happy with whatever the results are in the playoffs.
Kimbrell: Yep! We’re doing a series right now on Clipperholics on potential playoff matchups. Depending on our draw, I’m not counting us out of being able to upset someone.
Rapp: And for player development, there’s no better way to get young players ready for a playoff run than to have already played at least one playoff series.
Chong: No better way to sell the team as a potential future contender than making it to the playoffs without a single All-Star.