Clipperholics
Fansided

What we learned from the LA Clippers’ crushing win over Warriors

By Garrett Chorpenning

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 24: Kawhi Leonard #2 and Paul George #13 of the LA Clippers smile while sitting on the bench during their game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on October 24, 2019 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 24: Kawhi Leonard #2 and Paul George #13 of the LA Clippers smile while sitting on the bench during their game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on October 24, 2019 in San Francisco, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 4
Next
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – OCTOBER 24: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers drives to the basket against the Golden State Warriors on October 24, 2019, at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images)
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – OCTOBER 24: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the LA Clippers drives to the basket against the Golden State Warriors on October 24, 2019, at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Kawhi Leonard, point guard

Coming into the preseason, one of the LA Clippers’ main criticisms was that they lacked a traditional, offensive-minded point guard. It was something they had last year in the form of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, but since he had been shipped off to the Oklahoma City Thunder, questions were starting to come up about how the Clippers would move the ball.

Kawhi Leonard is proving to be the solution.

In his first two games with the Clippers, Leonard has demonstrated just how much he’s improved his playmaking ability since he first came into the league. He recorded five assists against the Lakers Tuesday night, and against the Golden State Warriors, Leonard went for a career-high nine assists in less than 22 minutes of play.

Perhaps even more impressively, Leonard had just one turnover to go along with his record-high number of assists.

Obviously, it’s still very early, but Leonard’s ability as a passer is something that appears to have been vastly underrated. He’s finding wide-open players on what feels like just about every possession, and he’s already built a great connection with several of his teammates.

Ivica Zubac is one such player that has benefitted from Leonard’s presence. Four of Zu’s 16 total points against Golden State came from the hands of Leonard, and the two already appear to have great chemistry together.

Aside from his playmaking ability, Leonard had an impressive night scoring the ball. He scored 21 points on 17 field-goal attempts while shooting over 50 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from three-point range.

Leonard’s role as a playmaker may decrease a bit once Paul George returns sometime next month,  but if the Clippers continue to run the offense through Leonard, then he could be well on his way to averaging a career-high number of assists per game in his first season with LA.

Home/Clippers News