The LA Clippers are less than 10 days into a new season with what is basically an entirely new roster. After Paul George and Russell Westbrook left town, the roster underwent a major overhaul that saw a plethora of new role players enter the picture and prepare to assist Kawhi Leonard and James Harden in their quest of leading the Clippers back to the playoffs in a loaded Western Conference.
So far, the Clippers have encountered a multitude of problems in need of addressing, some dealing with individual players and some relating to the team as a whole. Still, this group has also shown in spite of their mistakes that they have an incredibly high ceiling, and their defense will have the potential to take them a long way.
In five games so far this season, the Clippers have played in four two-possession games and one game that ended with an eight-point margin. They have basically been in a clutch situation every single time out to this point. As they navigate through these crucial end-of-game circumstances, they are going to have to figure out when to let who take the final shot to decide the game.
The Clippers will need to figure out when to leave the final shot to James Harden or Norman Powell. That will be a big thing moving forward. It's been two games now when Norm probably should have handled it at the end.
— Farbod Esnaashari (@Farbod_E) October 31, 2024
The Clippers have to figure out who takes the final shot
During the "213" era, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George essentially shared clutch time duties. Now, with Leonard sidelined, the two best clutch shot-makers on this team are James Harden and Norman Powell. Figuring out when to hand the ball to each player and letting them do their thing will be a major determination the Clippers will have to make as the season progresses.
At the conclusion of LA's contest with the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, Amir Coffey attempted a three-pointer with 47 seconds remaining in clutch time that ultimately missed the mark and would have given the Clippers a two-point lead. Many pointed out that the ball should have been swung to the corner where a more open and more reliable Norman Powell would have attempted the shot.
Again, this is something that the team will organically figure out as they try different approaches at the end of games throughout the season. There should frankly be plenty of trust in both Harden and Powell as timely shot-makers, as we have seen both deliver in clutch moments throughout their careers. Once the Clippers have their go-to guy in the final moments of a close contest, this team will be one step closer to realizing their potential.