Don't Count Out the Post-Kawhi Clippers: Why LA Is Actually Better Than You Think

The Los Angeles Clippers stole the headlines in the offseason for all the wrong reasons. It is, therefore, understandable that there would be little hype about the actual on-court product in the 2026-27 season.

Clippers fans also have every right to be frustrated with the franchise. The future of the organization is certainly much bleaker after the league's punishment as a result of the Kawhi Leonard investigation. But the 2026-27 Clippers, as they are currently constructed, are better than many people give them credit for.

Clippers Are Closer to the Play-In Than the Bottom of the League

In ESPN's season preview, Zach Kram placed the Clippers in the bottom tier of teams. He titled the tier "noncompetitive" but separated it into "with their own pick" and "without their own pick". Chicago and Sacramento made up the former category, and the Clippers, along with the Bucks and the Nets, were in the latter.

Are the Clippers really one of the worst five teams in the league? Looking at their roster and comparing it to some of the teams in the higher tier, it is difficult to believe.

The Clippers may have one of the worst center rotations in the league, but their perimeter depth is impressive. They may struggle defensively, as they lack quality defenders outside of Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr. They don't have a defensive anchor, either, especially considering how much Brook Lopez has aged.

There are lineups, however, that the Clippers can deploy to have a fighting chance defensively. When Jones Jr., Dunn, and Max Strus are on the floor together, the Clippers can probably hold their own on that end of the floor.

Offensively, the Clippers have a lot of weapons. Darius Garland and Brandon Ingram are floor-raising offensive weapons. They can create decent enough shots for themselves and their teammates and make them with good enough efficiency that it's hard to see the Clippers as a bad offense. Garland and Ingram aren't going to lead highly efficient offenses, but there is enough passing, shooting, and scoring between the two of them.

Plus, there is a ton of shooting on this team.

Max Strus, Bradley Beal, and Rui Hachimura are all very good shooters. Keaton Wagler projects to be a decent shooter. With Lopez at the five, the Clippers can play with five-out spacing for long stretches. Having that much spacing generally allows teams to punch above their weight.

There are, of course, health concerns regarding Beal, Garland, Ingram, and Strus. They have all dealt with serious injuries that kept them out for months at a time over the last two seasons. This gives the Clippers some downside risk, but when they are all healthy, this team has plenty of veteran competence and talent.

Moreover, Ty Lue is still there. The Clippers have never finished below .500 under Lue. They are unlikely to get there this season, but Lue has always been an excellent head coach when it comes to getting the most out of limited groups.

Are the Pelicans, who won 26 games last season and only added Bennedict Mathurin, really going to be much better than the Clippers? Can anyone say that the Clippers' roster is clearly worse than Charlotte's, Memphis', or Golden State's?

It's easy to cast the Clippers aside as a chaotic mess of a team with a bleak future. While that may be true, they still have a ton of capable players. Until they get rid of their talented veterans in a fire sale, the Clippers will be a better team than many think. If they retain this core past the trade deadline, don't be surprised if they are closer to the Play-In race than the bottom of the league.

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