Youthfulness
Arguably the biggest selling point the LA Clippers have is their ability to stay young compared to the Raptors.
The Clippers have a trove of young players who can be around long-term should Kawhi stay. Two of them, Landry Shamet and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, were just nominated as members of the All-NBA Rookie Second Team.
There’s also Jerome Robinson who has shown some sixth man potential, Sindarius Thornwell who can provide strong defense and Ivica Zubac (who is a restricted free agent this summer) who could bloom into a starting caliber center.
There’s also Montrezl Harrell, who isn’t locked down long-term, but is still just 25-years-old and just came in third for Sixth Man of the Year voting.
Needless to say, what the Clippers have on their roster now should, for the most part, be around for the next several years.
The team also just added two rookies (Mfiondu Kabengele and Terance Mann) who are unproven but seem to fit in perfectly with the culture the franchise has built.
Coupled with the youth that the franchise has already, they still have assets. The team have all of their upcoming first round picks as well as the coveted 2021 Miami first round pick. More talent can be brought in whether it’s through the draft or by making deals.
Compared to the Raptors roster, this has to look intriguing. Kyle Lowry, Marc Gasol, Danny Green and Serge Ibaka were all big time contributors in the team’s Finals run, but none of them are exactly spring chickens. They’ll likely suffice for one, maybe two more seasons but will be non-factors long term.