Clippers' Injuries Could Bring Their Downfall Once Again

With the 2025-26 NBA season coming to a close, we are seeing the two Los Angeles teams heading in opposite directions. While the Lakers rise, winning 10 of their last 11 games, including wins over the Rockets, Timberwolves, Knicks, and Nuggets, the Clippers are sliding. Following Wednesday's loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, the Clippers have lost three straight games, two of which came against non-playoff teams in the Pels and Sacramento Kings.

The biggest difference between the now three-seeded Lakers and the eighth-seeded Clippers is that the Clippers have been dealing with more injuries than they can handle lately. These injuries include Bennedict Mathurin, who is dealing with a toe injury, Darius Garland, who is unable to play back-to-backs because of his lingering injuries, and Nic Batum, who is now day-to-day. Yanic Konan Niederhauser saw his season end due to a right foot issue, and even Kawhi Leonard is starting to look like a shell of himself.

Kawhi being hurt is just the latest development, as despite still giving the Clippers an efficient 25 points in the first game of the team’s back-to-back against New Orleans, he was hobbling around most of the game. He was subsequently ruled out in Thursday's rematch against the Pelicans. For a Clippers team that relies so much on its Superman, his health issues could kill its playoff hopes.

Injuries and Roster Decisions Catching Up to the Clippers

When the Clippers front office, led by Lawrence Frank, decided to pivot at the trade deadline toward a younger direction, they sent away James Harden and Ivica Zubac. This move weakened LA's overall depth, as the team lost its lead playmaker and on-ball scorer in Harden, which has only put more on Kawhi's plate. By trading away Zu, the front office made life harder not just for Brook Lopez, who was originally signed to be a veteran at the backup five spot, but also for the rest of the roster.

Zubac was an elite rebounder and a monster physical presence. When he was dealt, not only did the rest of the teams' rebounding responsibilities skyrocket, but they were also tasked with demanding more of themselves physically.

This is why the number of injuries and issues the Clippers are dealing with isn’t a major surprise. By trading away two impactful starters, they’ve forced players who may not have been ready into larger, more demanding roles, and it's clearly backfiring.

After Clippers fans had their hearts broken in a grueling seven-game round one series with Denver last season, it now appears that heartbreak could come before the postseason even starts. Injuries are stacking up for LA, and the only person management can blame is themselves.