The Los Angeles Clippers came into 2022-23 widely regarded by many as a favorite to win the NBA championship.
On its face, the logic made sense.
Kawhi Leonard was finally healthy. He and Paul George are two of the more dynamic forwards in the NBA. The roster was stacked.
All the pieces were there.
Unfortunately, the Clippers have been slow to gel thus far. That has culminated in a 21-20 record through 41 games and has left them hovering around 7th place in the Western Conference.
During one particular recent loss to the Denver Nuggets, Clippers head coach Ty Lue decided that his team was trailing by enough (30+ points) at halftime to warrant sitting his stars.
Leonard didn’t like that very much.
“I mean, obviously nobody wants to lose by that amount of points,” Leonard told Law Murray of The Athletic.
“You want to get it back, pretty much. You want to get back out there on the floor and do what you can to either get a win or even the same night, rather than sit and watch. Just coming from me.”
Leonard’s competitive juices were really triggered by essentially throwing in the towel.
“I mean, obviously nobody wants to lose by that amount of points,” Leonard continued.
“You want to get it back, pretty much. You want to get back out there on the floor and do what you can to either get a win or even the same night, rather than sit and watch. Just coming from me.”
Leonard also views the opportunity to come from behind as a team-building exercise.
“I feel like these are the times where we need to be in there and dig ourselves out those holes and learn what we’re doing, instead of flipping the page and going to the next game,” Leonard added.
“But yeah, that’s just from my perspective.”
This isn’t the first time in recent weeks Leonard has spoken out harshly about his Clippers, and it likely won’t be the last.
There is still plenty of time for this group to right the ship. That goes without saying.
Victor Wembanyama is built different. https://t.co/6lRIfze982
— Game 7 (@game7__) January 7, 2023
But if they don’t, it will start having a various serious adverse impact on Leonard’s legacy.
He and George were supposed to form a super team that would compete for a title on annual basis. That hasn’t happened yet.
If it continues not to, they may go down as one of the most disappointing superstar combos of all time.
Related: NBA Trade Rumors Surrounding Hawks’ Trae Young Intensify
A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
