ESPN makes huge mistake with season prediction for Clippers

The upcoming NBA season will feature many talented and competitive teams, especially in the Western Conference. The regular season is sure to be a grind for everyone, and given injuries and other anomalies, no one is guaranteed a playoff spot. The LA Clippers will of course be in a very interesting position.

After losing Paul George in free agency, the Clippers will be working on getting acclimated with a roster that features many new key players. With Russell Westbrook also gone, role players like Derrick Jones Jr., Kris Dunn, Kevin Porter Jr. and others will all likely get heavily playing time in Tyronn Lue's rotation.

Adapting and figuring things out on the fly will be the name of the game for this group. So of course, it will not be surprising if there is a little less stability and less consistent winning in the regular season. It will be hard for anyone to think the Clippers will be championship favorites from day one, but they will of course still have a fighting chance.

ESPN has the Clippers missing the play-in

However, one big outlet in ESPN sees a different vision for LA. Recently publishing their Western Conference standings prediction, the network proved that they have no faith in the Clippers at all this coming season, placing them outside the top 10 in the standings, and thus outside the play-in range.

I have to think that this will end up being a regretful prediction from ESPN. When you look at the Clippers' roster and what they have to work with in 2024-25, there is far too much talent to miss the playoffs and the play-in completely. No, I am not predicting them to finish in the top three or four in the conference. But some of the teams they have finishing above LA in the standings simply do not make much sense.

The Rockets, who ESPN has finishing tenth, have a far less talented roster than the Clippers'. Putting the Warriors above LA is also a questionable decision, considering the moves they have made this offseason.

This is another example of how some of the mainstream media seems to really be underestimating the Clippers in the upcoming season. Time will tell, but this prediction looks to be way off base.