With a healthy roster featuring Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, along with an explosive second unit accentuated by the additions of Norman Powell and Robert Covington – the LA Clippers should find themselves near the top of the Western Conference leaderboards next season.
Yet, with LA fully expecting to rearrange the arduous west, they’ll be met with a considerable amount of resistance. The Memphis Grizzlies emerged as a team that not only features one of the game’s bright stars in Ja Morant but also a host of shooters, tenacious defenders, and capable playmakers.
The Dallas Mavericks, fresh off their first conference final in roughly a decade, will look to keep their momentum going. Also, the Phoenix Suns will attempt to redeem themselves after aggregating the most wins in the entire NBA this year, only to be summarily pushed out of the postseason in the second round.
The audacious championship aspirations of the Clippers won’t be met without serious pushback. But amongst a long list of talented teams in the west, who amongst them will stand firmly in LA’s way? Let’s jump into it and rank the biggest championship impediments for the Clippers in the Western Conference.