Despite losing to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday, the Los Angeles Clippers still put up a big challenge even after losing superstar Kawhi Leonard in the second half. In fact, over the last two months, the Clips have been one of the best teams in the NBA, with a winning record that has turned things around for the franchise.
But apparently, Kawhi Leonard himself doesn’t think highly of his Clippers, all but admitting on Friday after the Clippers beat the Denver Nuggets that the days of the Clips being contenders—or at least being in that tier—are over. His admission came after a reporter asked what the franchise has to do to break into that aforesaid contender tier.
“Just development over time. I think it’s over now. It’s, the second half, like a fourth of the season left,” Leonard said bluntly. “But every day is a day to grow. A day to learn and get better. So just got to keep looking over time and see in two weeks if we’re getting better and see what happens from there.”
Kawhi Leonard Not a Fan of Clips’ Trades?
The Clippers, of course, were among the more active teams during the trade deadline, sending Kawhi Leonard’s veteran superstar running mate James Harden to the Cleveland Cavaliers for young All-Star Darius Garland. Then, the franchise traded big man Ivica Zubac to Indiana for explosive guard Bennedict Mathurin.
Both trades netted the Clips young guards with potential, but they had to ship out two veterans who had been among their most consistent contributors in recent years. From that vantage point, it’s easy to see why Kawhi Leonard doesn’t seem to be much of a fan of the Clippers’ youth movement.
The Clippers will return to action on Monday against the Orlando Magic, but without Kawhi Leonard, who was ruled out for said game.
