4 Questions Clippers Must Answer in the Final 4 Games of the Season

The Los Angeles Clippers have four more games left in the regular season before the Play-In Tournament. How they fare in these games will determine whether they finish the season eighth or ninth, which will go a long way in deciding whether they will earn a playoff spot.

Despite coming to the end of the season, the Clippers still have questions they have to answer between now and the playoffs. LA has largely played above expectations since the trade deadline, but they simply haven't had enough time to build chemistry ahead of a postseason run. The final week of the season will be the last chance for the Clippers to see what they have in their hands and how hopeful they can be to make a run in the playoffs.

Can Role Players Hit Enough Threes?

The Clippers have been inconsistent from downtown all season due to their personnel. This hasn't changed at the trade deadline despite changes to the roster. Since the trade deadline moves, the Clippers take the fifth-fewest threes in the league in terms of percentage of their field goal attempts, per Cleaning the Glass.

The big reason why is the role players. The Clippers can trust Darius Garland and Kawhi Leonard to hit shots, but it's not a great recipe for success to have your best players also be your best shooters. Ideally, Leonard and Garland would be surrounded by solid three-and-D players who can space the floor for them.

There aren't any high-volume, high-accuracy shooters on the roster. Bennedict Mathurin has forgotten how to shoot since arriving in LA. Bogdan Bogdanovic is out of the rotation. Nicolas Batum plays sparingly. This means that there are no role players who make two threes per game. Kobe Sanders, Kris Dunn, and John Collins are all shooting above league-average marks from downtown, but they don't take enough threes to instill fear into opposing defenses.

The Clippers need to show that they can make enough shots ahead of the postseason. Otherwise, defenses will make things difficult for their stars by packing the paint.

Can the Clippers Survive On the Boards?

Since the trade deadline, the Clippers have been one of the worst-rebounding teams in the league. They rank 24th in offensive rebounding rate and 25th in defensive rebounding rate. Losing Ivica Zubac at the deadline is obviously a big reason for the struggles. Brook Lopez is a poor rebounder for his size, and the Clippers are mostly undersized in other positions.

The Clippers are battling with the Blazers for a playoff spot. Portland is one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the league and has dominated the Clippers last time the two sides met. This will be a storyline to watch when the two teams play the most important game of the season later this week.

How Much Will Ty Lue Push His Stars?

The Clippers have a back-to-back set, playing Dallas on Tuesday and OKC on Wednesday. They then take on the Blazers on Friday and the Warriors on Sunday. This busy schedule doesn't let up once the regular season is over, as the Play-In Tournament begins on Tuesday.

There is a difficult decision Ty Lue has to make about his stars. Darius Garland has yet to play on both legs of a back-to-back this season as the team is managing his surgically-repaired toe. Kawhi Leonard has been hobbled with an ankle sprain and a wrist injury in recent weeks, and is usually on a load management plan.

How much Lue will prioritize finishing eighth versus ninth will be fascinating. Will the team be fine with playing both stars over 35 minutes per game down the stretch? Or are they going to be okay with punting the Thunder game so that they can focus entirely on Friday's game against the Blazers?

Will Kawhi Leonard's Body Hold Up?

Just like every season of the Kawhi Leonard era in LA, this is the most important question. The 34-year-old forward has exceeded all expectations this season and has been playing some of the best basketball of his career. Combining a career-high in usage rate and True Shooting, Leonard has carried the Clippers on his back for long stretches of the season.

How long can this last? We have seen in the past that Leonard's body can break down when his load and the overall intensity of the schedule ramp up. If Leonard is hobbled or has to have his load managed, the Clippers have no chance to make any noise in the playoffs.

It's important to keep an eye out for how Leonard is looking out there, both in terms of his movement and his shot, as he deals with an ankle and a wrist issue. The more rest the Clippers can get him over the next week, the better the fans should feel about their postseason chances.