LA’s identity isn’t going to change
From the beginning of the press conferences, which started with Kawhi Leonard and Lou Williams, to the end, with Mfiondu Kabengele and Terance Mann, one question was asked more than any other:
“Does the addition of two superstars change the gritty nature of this team?”
And from the very beginning to the very end, one answer was given time after time:
“Not at all.”
It’s a legitimate question. After all, the LA Clippers prided themselves on being the underdogs this past season. That label is essentially out the window now that the team has two of the world’s best basketball players under contract.
But despite the addition of these two superstars, it sounds as though the Clippers will continue to be as gritty and hard-working as ever before. Of course, with Patrick Beverley on the roster, it’s almost impossible not to adapt to that sort of mentality — but you would think, even just a little bit, that Kawhi and Paul George would change things up a little bit.
Nope.
Beverley wasn’t the first to answer the question, but he was probably the one who answered it best.
During Sunday’s press conference, Beverley said that the Clippers will bring that same, scrappy attitude back, “but on steroids.”
Williams echoed that statement as well, saying that he “doesn’t know if there’s a way to tell Patrick Beverley to chill out.”
When you take a step back and look at Leonard and George for who they are rather than what they are, it all makes sense.
Yes, they’re superstars. They’ve both experienced the fame and fortune that comes along with that. But they’re also some of the game’s best two-way players, and they’ve shown time and time again that they’re unafraid to get involved and make the plays that only Beverley wants to. They’re just as gritty and scrappy as their new teammates, and being around a group of guys that achieved what they did last season should only amplify that. It’s just who they are.