In the 2018-19 season, the Clippers were a team of grit and relentless energy, led by the likes of Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell. No one expected them to win a championship, but everyone cared about and loved that team. They had personality, passion and a palpable, near-contagious desire to win.
Since the overhaul and the acquisition of George and Leonard in 2019, however, their identity started to fade. The team quickly became George and Leonard's, leaving the distinct skills and personalities of Beverley, Williams and Harrell with smaller supporting roles. Now, after yet another trade for a different superstar, there's not much, if any, left of the pluck and passion of the Clippers.
Some of the Clippers' winning spirit has left
And this was best demonstrated by Jackson and Jordan, two former Clippers who showed winning basketball is more than just signing the biggest names on the market.
Aging, average role players outplayed the maximum contracts and faces of the league. The two combined for 56 points together, just six less than the 62 from the Clips' big four. The quartet of Leonard, George, Harden and Westbrook, for context, are four of the league's most accomplished players, combining for five scoring titles, five assists titles and 32 All-Star appearances.