Both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will miss an undisclosed amount of time under the NBA’s health and safety protocol. The LA Clippers, who are heading into their road trip with a seven game win streak under their belt, will have to find production from the rest of their roster.
We don’t know necessarily who will be starting yet, especially given that Patrick Beverley will also at least miss Tuesday night’s game.
There are a few players who will be able to seize this opportunity but…
Here are three LA Clippers’ players who will benefit most from Paul George and Kawhi Leonard’s absence.
3. Terance Mann
This was a tough choice for the third spot. All the bench guards will obviously benefit from the lack of PG and Kawhi but I really think Terance Mann stands the most to gain. He has cracked Ty Lue’s rotation at times during the season when others are out and his size allows him to play the wing in a pinch.
Mann’s averages – 2.1 points, 2.4 rebounds, 0.6 assists in 8.6 minutes – aren’t exactly impressive but he has shown some positive signs at moments this season. I’m not exactly in Mann’s corner but this is a golden opportunity for him. The Clippers don’t have a ton of youth that we can be super excited for but maybe Mann impresses.
This is sort of a “prove it” moment for Mann. If he can get on the court and show the team something, he could earn himself more minutes and trust from Ty Lue. If Mann wants to stick around with the team and not be tossed in as an extra piece in a trade, he has to go out and perform.