With notable additions that have occurred in different directions across the roster, fans of the LA Clippers have the utmost confidence in head coach Tyronn Lue leading his team to a top-three seed. He has multiple new veterans, whom many know he is always looking to utilize, and his right-hand man, Jeff Van Gundy, has not left Los Angeles, despite numerous vacant openings around the NBA.
However, it is one thing for the fans to have confidence, especially when a team has an offseason like the Clippers just had, but it is another when the players match the excitement and reciprocate the energy.
Although winning games and performing well involve a surplus of skill and effort, both are of no use when the team is not mentally checked in to the game, eager to win every possession that passes by on the shot clock.
Furthermore, superstars James Harden and Kawhi Leonard appear to be equally confident in the Clippers’ abilities next season. Harden did his due diligence in helping the team land Bradley Beal, and Leonard indirectly updated the fans on how his offseason training was going through the voice of Lawrence Frank.
Conversely, the third option, and a member of LA’s big three, Ivica Zubac, seems to be the most ready of them all. In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, he backed up the fans’ point of view regarding the identity they had last season.
Ivica Zubac believes the LA Clippers will only get better throughout next season
While many may be confused about how the LA Clippers won 50 games last season, players and most fans were not surprised, as their defense was ranked among the best in the world, specifically in the top five.
LA had every defensive metric and rating in their favor, and coaching assistant Jeff Van Gundy helped plot against superstars to minimize their impact on the game, forcing role players and reserves to step up.
Moreover, the Clippers’ best defender, Ivica Zubac, spoke with Sports Illustrated and mentioned why he believes next season will bring improvement, particularly because of the additions made by Lawrence Frank since June.
Zubac could very well be correct, which is exciting, as an all-defensive caliber center like Brook Lopez signing in at the scorer’s table was a factor that was absent last season, foreshadowing one of the ways LA could have the best defense in the NBA throughout the 2025-26 regular season.