The season has yet to officially begin for the Los Angeles Clippers, but they already appear to be facing a significant handicap versus other teams.
The NBA released its complete schedule for all 30 teams on Thursday. While every team is given an 82-game slate, not all schedules are created equal. The Clippers own the unenviable distinction of having to travel the most miles – 50,670 miles, to be exact – throughout the season.
LAC’s expected travel mileage is 3,604 miles greater than that of the second-highest team in the Brooklyn Nets. That gap is roughly the same difference between the second-ranked Nets and the tenth-ranked Golden State Warriors.
One factor at play is that the Clippers share Crypto.com Arena with the Los Angeles Lakers, who are unarguably the larger draw between the two franchises. However, the Lakers rank just ninth at 43,545 miles and also owned a more advantageous schedule over their co-tenants last season.
Beyond the added travel fatigue, the Clippers have 25 scheduled instances of three games in four days. They also have two instances of five games in seven days, which the NBA has been actively trying to eliminate entirely. Both of those figures lead the NBA.
The Clippers are no strangers to feeling like second-class citizens in what’s historically been a Lakers town. However, they have been treated “slightly worse” over the last two seasons, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst during a recent episode of his “The Hoop Collective” podcast. The reason? Steve Ballmer’s team will move out of Crypto.com Arena in the near future to play in their Inglewood arena that is currently projected to be completed by 2024. Given that, Windhorst believes that every scheduling overlap or issue is being ruled in favor of the Lakers.
The Clippers are already dealing with uncertainty surrounding their future with Kawhi Leonard. The present season seems to be offerings its own unique challenges as well.
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