This past season was a wild ride for the LA Clippers. After starting the season with the same core as the previous year, a massive change was made in trading for James Harden. Putting the former MVP in the mix changed the entire makeup of what the Clippers were trying to accomplish.
But despite having to adjust to such a big change, the team performed exceptionally well for the majority of the season. There were still ups and and downs as with any season, and the conclusion of the regular season was certainly less desirable than what happened in the middle of it.
However, all things considered, the Clippers came out of this year with a lot of positives to take with them into the future. Several players proved they could have a legitimate role with the team going forward, while others saw their stock fall.
Untouchable: Ivica Zubac
One of the best and most consistent players for the Clippers all season long was Ivica Zubac. The big man played to his strengths and was a monster on the interior, gobbling up rebounds and scoring around the basket. In an era where much of the focus has gone to perimeter play, Zubac gave Clippers fans something to be excited about with his dominant performances.
Zubac put up a career-high in points per game with 11.7 a night, while notching the second-highest rebounding average and field goal percentages of his career as well. He was a rock for LA, and we saw him take over games time and time again by imposing his will on smaller or less skilled bigs on opposing teams.
It should be noted that Zubac had great playmakers getting him the ball in his spots all season as well. What he acheived in 2023-24 is no small matter, and he certainly earned untouchable status on this team going forward.
Could be cut loose: P.J. Tucker
Headed into the year, the Clippers were well-prepared to run it back with their core of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Russell Westbrook. When the front office opted to take a swing for the fences and acquire James Harden in a trade with Philadelphia, it obviously changed everything. LA was forced to make adjustments on the fly and figure out where certain guys would fit best, including the two new players now on their roster.
The other new player the Clippers added alongside Harden was P.J. Tucker. When Clippers fans saw his name included in the trade, there was some deserved optimism. Many thought he would be a big help to this team, and those thoughts were warranted given his track record. Tucker has played on multiple high-level playoff teams, including the 2018-2020 Rockets, 2022 Heat, 2023 76ers, as well as the 2021 Bucks that won a championship.
His physicality and timely shot-making in the playoffs are big parts of what makes him so effective. But unfortunately, P.J. never really got to the level that he is used to with the Clippers this past season. He got on the court for a career-low 15.0 minutes per game, and shot just 35.6% from the floor as a whole. His age appeared to be taking a bit of a toll on him, and his status for the future is certainly up in the air.
Untouchable: James Harden
It is reasonable to say that before this past season began, the Clippers already had a solid process down on both sides of the basketball. When healthy, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are still a few of the best two-way superstars in the game, and we know what they are capable of both together and apart. Even when one is available and not the other, we have seen the Clippers still reach incredible heights, like their run to the Western Conference Finals following Leonard's injury three years ago.
But knowing their stars were beginning to age just a bit, the front office thought it best to go out and pursue another playmaker that could get the ball into their hands optimally. Enter James Harden, who may not have had an All-Star caliber season, but still did plenty of things to make the Clippers a better team overall.
Say what you want about Harden, but this past season was where he proved he is willing and able to be a total team player at this point in his career, which is not always an easy thing for a former superstar to do. His contributions in the regular season were significant, and he followed that up with several masterful performances in the playoffs, including Game 4 against the Mavericks where he hit clutch shot after clutch shot down the stretch.
James proved that he belongs on this team long-term. Knowing what he was able to do in 2023-24 and his value to the roster, the Clippers should not be willing to part with him for less than a big offer.
Could be cut loose: Russell Westbrook
The public perception of Russell Westbrook was a bit messy not too long ago. When he played on the Lakers, Westbrook's production was admittedly down, and he did not perform up to his previous stanadards. But the way he was relentlessly criticized and even scapegoated for the Lakers' shortcoming was a bit alarming, leading many to wonder if he was really as big a problem as everyone in Laker Land claimed he was.
As it turns out, there was some exaggeration on the part of the Purple and Gold, or perhaps it was just a bad situation for the former MVP. When Russ joined the Clippers in February 2023, he enjoyed a resurgence and got back to playing at a meaningful level, helping the Clippers reach the playoffs and even logging a game-winning block on Devin Booker in the playoffs.
But unfortunately, the fates began to shift for Westbrook once again once James Harden ended up in Los Angeles. Russ' playing time went down, and he was forced back to coming off the bench. With his role more fluid and less defined, Westbrook struggled for much of the 2023-24 season. His play was not nearly as crucial for the Clippers last year as it was the previous year, and he could absolutely be sent elsewhere this summer.