Why November may be the LA Clippers’ most difficult month of the season
The LA Clippers will have a few difficult months to endure during the 2019-2020 regular season, but November may provide the biggest challenge to overcome.
The LA Clippers’ 2019-2020 regular season schedule finally released this afternoon, and it didn’t take long for fans and analysts alike to begin dissecting the 82-game slate. Within seconds, we knew how many back-to-backs the Clippers would play (13), how many nationally televised games they would get (26, though that’s always subject to change), and when they would play their most important games of the season.
For the most part, the Clippers’ schedule appears to be balanced fairly with the rest of the league. One gripe is that a majority of their back-to-backs do occur on the road, but the second game tends to be against a far easier opponent than the first (i.e. Dallas then Memphis on Nov. 26 and 27, Minnesota then Cleveland on Feb. 8 and 9). There are a few exceptions to that, but it’s nothing worth dwelling on.
When you break things down month-by-month, it again looks like the computers treated the Clippers fairly. No single month looks extraordinarily tougher than any other, though LA will play a majority of their tougher opponents early on in the season.
If I had to single out any one month that could prove to be more difficult than the rest, my decision would come down to November, December or March. November is more home-dominated than the other two, which is certainly a perk, but considering superstar forward Paul George may not be fully healthy during the season’s early goings, the Clippers will be forced to take on some of the league’s best while being unable to play at full strength.
LA will open the month on Nov. 3 with a home matchup against the Utah Jazz, a team that figures to be one of the West’s best this season. After adding Mike Conley to an already-talented starting five and role players like Bojan Bogdanovic and Ed Davis to the second unit, the Jazz are going to be a tough beat for any team.
The Clippers will then face the Milwaukee Bucks at Portland Trail Blazers in a home back-to-back on Nov. 6 and 7, both of which will be nationally televised. Both teams are considered to be locks to make the postseason in 2020, which could give the Clippers some issues. That being said, the Clippers will get two days rest following their matchup with the Jazz, so the Clippers should be able to win at least one of the two games.
From there, LA will get three more days of rest before playing four games in the following six days. Kawhi Leonard‘s former Toronto Raptors team will travel to STAPLES Center on Nov. 11, which is followed by a road back-to-back against the Houston Rockets and New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 13 and 14. Assuming James Harden and Russell Westbrook figure out how to play together, they could wear the Clippers out ahead of their first meeting with Zion Williamson‘s Pelicans team.
The schedule softens up after that, albeit briefly, as the Clippers will play five straight home games from Nov. 16 to 24. That stretch will begin with games against the Atlanta Hawks and Oklahoma City Thunder, two teams that may struggle to earn playoff spots next season. The final three games of the home stand will be played against the Kemba Walker‘s Boston Celtics, and then again against the Rockets and Pelicans.
LA will close the month with a three-game road trip, with the first two games being played on consecutive nights. They’ll meet the Dallas Mavericks on Nov. 26 and the Memphis Grizzlies on Nov. 27, get that Thursday off, and then travel to San Antonio to take on the Spurs on Nov. 29.
None of these games figure to be too difficult in their own regard, and I would have a hard time predicting that November will be a losing month for the LA Clippers. Both of those things have a lot to do with the team’s health at the time, and if George winds up being healthy early on, then the team’s most difficult month could end up being December or March.
It’s also difficult to discount what the Clippers were able to accomplish this past season, without any superstars on the roster. Perhaps better equipped to load manage than any other team in the NBA, November may not end up providing much of a challenge for LA. Patrick Beverley, Landry Shamet, Montrezl Harrell, Lou Williams and Maurice Harkless would make one heck of a load management squad, and because of the Clippers’ depth, they have the ability to toggle with that lineup and insert some bigger guys in the form of JaMychal Green or Ivica Zubac if need be.
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Regardless, the LA Clippers are going to be in good shape by season’s end, whether George and Leonard are at full strength at the beginning of the season or not. It’s the postseason that matters most for a contending team like the Clippers, and if the team is managed properly, a title may not be too far out of reach.