It goes without saying that Paul George's departure was the biggest story of the offseason for the LA Clippers. A perennial Western Conference playoff contender had its foundation shook when one of its two core stars opted not to re-sign in Los Angeles.
The result was a complete roster shake-up that saw the Clippers' front office make multiple new signings in an effort to offset the loss of George. LA will head into next season with Derrick Jones Jr., Kris Dunn, Kevin Porter Jr. and Nic Batum all as new additions to their roster.
Overall, the common sentiment among NBA pundits, observers and fans has been that the Clippers are set to take a step back next season. Having both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard gave LA a formidable duo for the last five seasons, and now they will head into a new era where they will try to figure out life without number 13.
However, do not count former Clippers guard Baron Davis as one of those doubting the Clippers' direction going forward. Recently, Davis appeared on Scoop B Radio and gave his honest thoughts on LA's situation, explaining that he thinks things may not be so bad for the franchise after all.
Paul George joining 76ers and leaving the Clippers could be a “blessing in disguise” says ex- Clippers PG @BaronDavis to Scoop B Radio.
— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) September 19, 2024
“It forces you now to actually play through Kawhi and James Harden. So you have two superstars and you pick up some good players in free… https://t.co/XgscIyzjgw pic.twitter.com/KQrMPOGn6P
Baron Davis: George leaving could be "blessing in disguise"
"It hurts, because I work with the Clippers, I do some announcing with the Clippers," Davis said. "You know, Paul George is my dawg. That's my brother first, and so I'm always player first. I think for the Clippers, you know, who knows. It could be a blessing in disguise, because it forces you now to actually play through Kawhi and James Harden. So you have two superstars, and then you picked up some good players in free agency."
Outsiders may not agree with Baron's message, but he makes some solid points. Kawhi and James are still more than capable of carrying the brunt of this team's offensive load, even at their increasing age. And like Davis said, the Clippers now have a strengthened bench of strong role players to support their stars.
It is times like these where I like to refer to Albert Einstein's famous words. "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." That can be applied here with the Clippers' situation. LA had built their team around Kawhi and Paul George every year since 2019, and each time the experiment ultimately failed.
Not to mention, Paul George had plenty of missed time due to injury over the last five seasons. There had already been extended stretches where Ty Lue was forced to make this team work without PG, so the supposed challenge of adjusting to life without him may not be as difficult as it seems, just like Baron Davis is suggesting.