For a team like the LA Clippers, that once had championship aspirations before Kawhi Leonard shut them down, the play-in tournament is the last place they want to be in. However, there are advantages to certain spots, and it appears LA may not even uncover those, as they are currently the tenth seed, which means single-elimination and no home-court advantage.
Although the strength of the Clippers’ remaining schedule is just 45.9% (27th in the NBA), they play a ton of opponents in March, have four back-to-backs, and, to top it all off, guess which one of the three teams has it easier than LA? The ninth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers.
Thus, the Clippers have no choice if they want the best chance of surviving the play-in tournament other than to go on a winning streak that puts them over the Trail Blazers, and possibly higher.
Kawhi Leonard must guide the LA Clippers in avoiding the worst of the worst
The LA Clippers need to get out of the ten seed by any means necessary. Why? The main reason is that they are not the best of teams on the road, with a regular-season record of 13-18 so far. If you ask the same locker room to come up with a win with the season on the line twice in a row, there is reason to believe they will not be successful.
Furthermore, to climb up, nothing will matter, even with an impeccable gameplan and star production from role players, if Kawhi Leonard is not available and averaging over 30 points the rest of the way.
Off the court, the two-time champion has to lead. He must encourage his teammates, constantly remind everyone of the common goal, and inform the coaching staff of what he needs to dominate like never before.
If he fails by the slightest bit, the Clippers will have their backs against the wall, with the turnaround they worked hard to achieve, at risk of being for nothing.
Additionally, it will be Leonard’s job to work with the second- and third-option stars, Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin, and ensure they are in sync on both sides of the ball.
That said, moving up is very well possible. The Clippers are not far behind the eighth or ninth seeds at all, and with enough determination from the group as a whole and excellence from Leonard individually, circumstances can be improved.