The first month of the season is the opposite of what all supporters of the LA Clippers were expecting. Most people thought the team got better, fixed the holes that became apparent over the last season, and added quality depth pieces. Simply put, it seems all of these assumptions were incorrect.
After about a quarter of the season, the Clippers stand at 5-15, with a clear issue: not being able to close out games. Just this past week, they held fourth-quarter leads against the Memphis Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks. They would end up losing both games by a combined 9 points. Not a great look for a team that had championship aspirations going into the year.
On top of the slow start, Chris Paul announced that he would retire at the end of the year. This came after news broke that fellow new signing Bradley Beal would miss the rest of the season due to hip surgery. Beal only played six games this season, posting a career-low scoring average.
The few bright spots include Kawhi Leonard (when active), James Harden turning back the clock, and second-round rookie Kobe Sanders. Sanders has appeared in 12 games, including three starts, averaging around six points per game on solid efficiency. Fans hope to see more playmaking from the rookie, but Sanders has impressed by doing the dirty work and little things for the Clippers.
The addition of Victor Oladipo would be a dream that takes away from LA's youth
Even with Kobe Sanders’ emergence as a quality role player earlier than expected, it has brought up two new issues for the LA Clippers. First, Sanders is on a two-way contract, meaning he can only play 38 more games over the rest of the season. To avoid this, the Clippers must convert him to a standard contract.
The other issue is one most fans expected after Norman Powell's departure. The Clippers lack a third player who can create their own shot. Chris Paul is great at running the second unit and Bogdan Bogdanović has shown flashes of shot-creation ability, but their production has not met expectations.
While Victor Oladipo has not played in the NBA since 2023, he fits the mold of this team. The Clippers always seem to target older players, often injury-prone or overlooked, and revive their careers. We saw this during the offseason with Bradley Beal and Chris Paul, and in the past with Nicolas Batum.
In the preseason, the Clippers saw firsthand what he could do. Oladipo had 24 points on 66.7% shooting for the Guangzhou Loong-Lions. He has since been playing for the Wisconsin Herd in the G-League. Aside from his health, the only downside to acquiring Oladipo is that he would surely impede on Sanders’ minutes.
Oladipo, a two-time All-Star for the Indiana Pacers, has averaged 14-plus points per game on over 45% shooting during the G-League tip-off tournament. He brings energy, scoring, and shot-creation ability. Most importantly, that shot-creation ability and defensive ability will surely help the Clippers close out games and fix their biggest hole.