Opponent points per game is one of the first places to look when narrowing down the NBA's weakest defenses. The LA Clippers average 115.1 points allowed per game, which is solid, yet in four of their seven games, 120 or more points were given up, which is directly due to their lack of prime-year players.
How many guys can the Clippers say they currently employ in their prime? The only for-sure answer they will have is: Ivica Zubac, John Collins, Derrick Jones Jr., and Kris Dunn.
These four are great, some having the best years of their career this season, but none of them have been an All-Star, and are far from being labeled as a superstar.
On the contrary, the rest of the roster is a group of offensively talented half-court players trying to keep up with some of the best slashers and all-around scorers in the league, which is who LA has seen so far. This is what critics had been repeatedly trying to tell the Clippers, and they were in denial.
The personnel within the LA Clippers are fairly inconsistent
When Bradley Beal is completely cleared of the minute restriction-asterisk, and Kawhi Leonard's ankles are back intact, the LA Clippers' personnel of Tyronn Lue, Jeff Van Gundy, and Brian Shaw will have a game-plan centered around veterans past their prime, which is a position almost every championship-contender in the league this season has avoided.
A well-known phrase in sports is "slow feet do not eat"; however, the Clippers cannot control their speed. Their key players are not in their mid- to late 20s, where they can strengthen their bursts in the weight room, suggesting there is a limit to how fast they can move. This explains why many of the stars they have played have scored 20 or more points efficiently.
To no surprise, the reigning MVP and 2025 scoring champion, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, has scored the most on LA this season with 30 points on 9-14 shooting, but Jordan Poole also had 30, along with Zion Williamson, who did well with 29.
On the contrary, potential within the Clippers' half-court personnel is there, and they showed it against the Phoenix Suns and almost did it again versus the Miami Heat. This exemplifies their inconsistency.
That said, critics across the NBA community issued a warning the Clippers chose to ignore. These opinions were, in fact, correct, and Lue is tallying losses as a consequence.