Los Angeles Clippers stock up, stock down
After taking a 1-0 lead and stealing home-court advantage over the Phoenix Suns in the playoffs, Kawhi Leonard suffered a meniscus tear and missed the remainder of the playoffs. The Clippers went on to lose the first-round series in five games. Compounding the issue, Paul George never returned after suffering a knee sprain in March.
It was that kind of season for the disappointing Clippers (44-38), who finished fifth in the West.
Here are members of the organization who are trending up — or down.
Stock up
Russell Westbrook, point guard: After being dealt at the trade deadline by the Los Angeles Lakers and subsequently bought out by the Utah Jazz, the former MVP found a new home with the Clippers.
Westbrook's game had a spark with the Clippers that was missing while he played with the Lakers. With the Clippers, Westbrook averaged 15.8 points, 7.6 assists and 4.9 rebounds. His true shooting percentage increased to 56.2 compared to just 49.6 with the Lakers.
During the playoffs, Westbrook continued elevating his game, averaging 23.6 points (most since 2018), 7.4 assists and 7.6 rebounds. Without George or Leonard, Westbrook did everything he could to give the Clippers a fighting chance.
Ty Lue, head coach: Despite dealing with never-ending load management issues, trades and free-agent acquisitions, Lue kept this group together.
Lue guided Los Angeles to the fifth seed, and the Clippers looked primed for an upset (even without George) over the Suns until Leonard went down. The former NBA champion head coach showcased his ability as a top-tier in-game adjuster. He also has a knack for preparing his team, regardless of the circumstances or opponent.
It's clear Lue is not the problem in Los Angeles.
Stock Down
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, forwards: Part of ability, the saying goes, is availability. These two simply aren't available to play enough. When on the court, they're great, a championship-level duo.
However, Leonard and George haven't completed a full playoff run together since the 2020 Disney World bubble. The results with them have been overwhelmingly disappointing given the expectations when they teamed up in Los Angeles in 2019.
Steve Ballmer, owner: He is by far the wealthiest owner in the NBA, with an estimated net worth of more than $100 billion, per Forbes.com. He doesn't hesitate to pump money into the organization and often has the league's top payroll. A new, state-of-the-art arena, set to unveil before the 2024-25 season, is also in the works for the Clippers.
But Ballmer's ownership isn't working. The Clippers haven't won a title or appeared in an NBA Finals despite his investments.
Los Angeles bankrupted its future in the George trade, giving up a huge haul of draft picks and more, so it doesn't really have a backup plan. Ballmer's all-in approach has failed.
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