1 biggest stud and 1 biggest dud of LA Clippers season so far

The LA Clippers have had an up-and-down season so far.

We’re still not exactly sure what this team will be moving forward, as the team has seen mixed results with their franchise player in Kawhi Leonard being out for the whole year so far.

It hasn’t been all bad, as one Clipper in particular has been sensational this year. Some haven’t been so strong, and one player who was expected to make a major impact on the team hasn’t been the guy Clipper Nation was hoping him to be.

There is both one biggest stud and one biggest dud that stand out on the LA Clippers this season.

As for the stud, he’s a player who is hated by many casual fans, but continues to prove just how dominant of a player he is in his first year as the LA Clippers’ No. 1 option.

1 biggest stud of the LA Clippers season so far: Paul George

Paul George is having a bit of a tough time carrying the LA Clippers as the No. 1 option when it comes to dominating the standings, but this team realistically wasn’t ready to contend for a championship without Leonard for a variety of reasons. It’s not on PG13, as he’s having a special year.

He came into our last game averaging 25 points per contest, he was also averaging a career high in assists per game (5.4), and also was picking up 1.9 steals per contest. His 7.2 rebounds per game was the most in his time as a Clipper, and his 87.8% free throw percentage was the highest since his Indiana days. George was shooting a solid 42.3% from the field, which is pretty impressive considering opposing defenses are throwing everything possible at PG with him being the only star on the floor for the Clips.

It’s also why that 1.9 steals per game is also impressive considering he has to pick up the toughest defensive assignment on the floor with the Clips’ best defender in Kawhi out. PG hasn’t been getting the national recognition he deserves for having one of the best seasons of his career, but if the team starts playing better around him, he’ll stand out due to our win total going up.

Our win total will not go up, however, if we have too many players continuing to be duds this year.

1 biggest dud of the LA Clippers season so far: Serge Ibaka

Serge Ibaka has unfortunately been the biggest dud of the LA Clippers season so far, and nobody seems to be quite sure why. He went from starting the season injured, to having a tough time getting re-adjusted, to opting to go to the G-League, to being a key player in the rotation, to being consistently benched for “personal reasons,” to seemingly expressing the desire to be traded. It’s been quite the rollercoaster for the veteran center.

In the 14.7 minutes per game he’s played this season (in 14 games), he has unfortunately not looked very good. He’s put up 4.3 points per game, 3.5 rebounds per game, 0.3 blocks per game, and shot 34% from the field. (All stats are as of entering the Clippers’ previous game against the Kings.)

Perhaps it would be best for both sides if Ibaka was traded. I like Ibaka, but things just haven’t seemed to improve for him, and he may be best somewhere else. The Clips also may be better off pursuing compensation for Ibaka considering they aren’t necessarily getting very strong play from him this season.

The Clips have a lot to work on as we get closer and closer to the new year, but they’re not out of it. They still have a great player in PG13 running the show, and arguably a top two player in basketball hopeful to return to the team sometime this season.