5 Clippers Most to Blame for the 5-12 Start

There is plenty of blame to go around in the LA Clippers' disastrous start to the season.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Whenever a team that is expected to win 50 games starts the season 5-12, there will naturally be a ton of soul-searching. Finger-pointing and blame-assigning begin and the Los Angeles Clippers are at that point in their season after another deflating loss on Sunday, this time at the hands of the Cleveland Cavaliers. But, who exactly is the most to blame for the Clippers' disappointing season?

Brook Lopez

When a player is past his mid-30s, their inevitable decline can be sharp. Lopez was a solid rotation player for the Bucks last season, earning himself a two-year, $16 million contract. This year, in his age-37 season, Lopez has been nowhere near the difference-maker on defense. His offense is limited to taking three-pointers, and his slow-footedness becomes a big issue when he is not playing next to Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Lopez's inability to give the Clippers competent backup minutes are hurting the team as LA badly loses minutes without Ivica Zubac night in and night out.

Bradley Beal

Out of all the disappointing acquisitions of the Clippers this season, Bradley Beal is in a league of his own. Beal was supposed to be an upgrade over Norman Powell, but he only lasted six games before getting ruled out for the season after undergoing hip surgery. Even when he was available, he showed very few signs that he would be able to make a high-level impact.

With Beal out, the Clippers are seriously low on perimeter shot creation and playmaking. They also lack a true shooting guard besides Bogdan Bogdanovic, lowering their offensive ceiling significantly. It's impossible not to wonder how different this season would have been with Powell still starting at SG.

Kawhi Leonard

Leonard already missed ten games this season with ankle and foot sprains before returning on Sunday against the Cavs. He has still been solid when he has been on the court, averaging 23.7 points on over 50-40-90 shooting splits. Yet, his production isn't necessarily impacting winning as the Clippers have -10.6 net rating with him on the floor.

More concerning than his availability is the fact that Leonard is no longer a top-10 player in the league when healthy. Without that elite, All-NBA output, Leonard becomes no longer worth going above and beyond to appease.

Ty Lue

Even though there are obvious roster construction issues, it's safe to say that Lue has not been covering himself in glory. The Clippers are currently the fourth-worst defense in the league and as flawed as this roster is, it has a higher talent level than that. Lue can't seem to get this team to back in transition.

Lue hasn't been pressing the right buttons so far. James Harden has to play a ton of minutes and carry a significant load, and the Clips don't have an offensive plan when he is not on the floor. The team dies whenever Ivica Zubac sits, and if Lue can't solve this, the Clippers will not bounce back.

Lawrence Frank

The lion's share of the blame should go to the person who built this roster. Lawrence Frank traded away Powell, signed Beal, Lopez, and Chris Paul to construct the oldest team in NBA history. And the Clippers have certainly been playing like the oldest team of all-time: slow and underathletic.

Frank has obviously done an excellent job throughout his Clippers tenure, but it's hard to point to a good move he has made in the 2025 offseason.