The biggest concern for the LA Clippers is actually the health of Kawhi Leonard, not the upcoming free agency of Paul George or James Harden. If Kawhi Leonard misses the playoffs, it doesn't matter whether George or Harden re-sign with the team.
It's a big problem that the Clippers themselves are aware of.
Kawhi Leonard has missed the playoffs for the past four consecutive seasons. He has suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament, torn meniscus and now has inflammation in his knee. The only thing that will change next season is that he will be older at 33 years old. Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank is concerned that the team knows it will have to take workarounds.
“Organizationally, we need to look at how best to manage this to increase our odds and chances, but there are no guarantees,” Frank said in his exit interview. “Just like we can't promise what we can't deliver, like we did with Milwaukee, Giannis, Dame. [Lillard] Wounded.Jimmy in Miami [Butler] Zion also got hurt in New Orleans. That's part of the game, and I'm not going to make excuses for it or play the victim as if it were real. ”
For the LA Clippers, the promise of a championship seems to be dwindling every year. Paul George will be 34 next season, but it looks like he won't be able to attract two more defenders, James Harden will be 35, and Kawhi Leonard will be 33, capable of playing a full season in a healthy playoff series. This has happened only once in five years. Despite this, Lawrence Frank believes that no player will fall off a cliff in terms of performance next season.
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“There's some skepticism, but we're not here to overpromise or overpromise something we can't deliver,” Frank said. “I'm dealing more with what our reality is. And when things happen over and over again, I sometimes wonder if you don't see it. What I'm saying is no. , I understand that, but I also see the other side of it.'' And sometimes I talk to fans just because the players are struggling with injuries or they're in their mid-30s. It's like, oh, something falls off a cliff and there's not a lot of evidence of it. ”
The biggest takeaway from the 2024 NBA Playoffs is that young stars have taken over the league. It's hard to see older teams or teams over 31 succeed. Regardless of what's going on, Lawrence Frank believes Kawhi Leand, James Harden, and Paul George can still perform with the right complementary pieces.
“Look, we watch every game, we see young stars emerging and we don't deny that, but we're still going to demand better from this group. I think so,” Frank said. “Never stop trying to get better and do our job so we can continue to surround them with the best complementary players that give us the best chance to win. ”
The LA Clippers have several big questions heading into the 2024-25 NBA season. But it all starts and ends with Kawhi Leonard's health. If he's healthy for the playoffs, 90% of the problem is solved.
