LA Clippers: Clips rank second on ESPN’s ‘Future Power Rankings’

Yesterday, the LA Clippers ranked second on ESPN‘s ‘Future Power Rankings.’

They were ranked second to only the Brooklyn Nets, and were the highest-ranked team in the Western Conference.

“The Future Power Rankings are ESPN’s projection of the on-court success expected for each team over the next three seasons: 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24,” according to ESPN.

I agree with where the Clippers stand. The LA Lakers sit one spot behind, and the Denver Nuggets rank behind the Lakers at the number four slot.

This seems to be a major reason as to why the Brooklyn Nets are ranked ahead of the Clips. The West is going to be as competitive as it gets moving forward.

Three of the top four teams in the ranking are in the West. That’s not to mention the Utah Jazz and the Phoenix Suns, who were placed eighth and ninth on the ranking, respectively.

Both of them are ahead of the Clippers in the standings right now, and are right in the thick of the race to win the West. Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell are young, and other than Chris Paul, almost the entire Phoenix Suns roster is very young.

The reason the Clippers may be right to be ranked so much higher than the Suns is because arguably the Suns best player, Chris Paul, is now 36 years old. He’s still got it, but in a ranking that weighs all three of the next three years, it’s unclear as to how effective Paul can be in each of those upcoming seasons.

It’s a similar story with the Lakers. One of their top players in their top-tier duo, Anthony Davis, is still young, but LeBron James is 36 years old as well.

He’s been battling injuries this year, and Davis is battling injuries again as well. It’s not that James and Davis can’t be great players for the next three years, but the Clippers’ duo most likely has more left in the tank.

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are still young. Kawhi isn’t even 30 yet, and looks very far from leaving his prime.

It’s true that Leonard and George have also battled injuries this year. Again, it’s hard to rank the Lakers much lower than the Clips, but the Clippers still deserve the nod due to the uncertainties of Bron’s age, and AD’s injury history.

The Clippers can absolutely compete with the Nets in these next three years, but Brooklyn’s dominant trio of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and James Harden must have been too talented for ESPN to not slot Brooklyn at the top of the list.

Predicting future production this early is always tough. It’s encouraging, however, to see our squad placing so high amongst our Western Conference foes, and knocking on the door of that number one spot.