Kawhi Leonard continues blistering form, Clippers put NBA on notice

Evidence suggests that Leonard has fully recovered from the knee issue that sidelined him at the start of the season. He averaged 36.0 minutes in March, his highest workload in a single month of NBA action since the April stretch of the 2022-23 season. 

Leonard's late-season resurgence has made the Clippers the biggest dark horse team in the West entering the playoffs. ESPN's Kendrick Perkins believes Tyronn Lue's squad is the second-best team in the West behind the Oklahoma City Thunder, arguing that they will beat the Los Angeles Lakers, Denver Nuggets, Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets or Golden State Warriors in a playoff series.

"They're playing outstanding basketball," Perkins said of the Clippers on ESPN's "First Take" on Friday. "When I look at the West, outside of Oklahoma City, everyone has pretty much been inconsistent and has some flaws... Again, the Clippers have one of the best coaches in the game, their guy Kawhi is back, and they have the pieces. They're my sleeper in the Western Conference."

Perkins isn't wrong to state that nearly every team in the crowded West is vulnerable. The Nuggets and Grizzlies rank third and sixth on offense, respectively, but have struggled mightily on defense. The Lakers lack size in the interior and have placed 16th on defense since the All-Star break. The Rockets own the fourth-best defense but are suspect at closing games due to a middling offense. 

Unlike all those teams, the Clippers are clicking on both ends at the business end of the season. Since the All-Star break, they rank fifth on offense and have owned the third-best defense all season. The Thunder remain the only team in the West to place in the top 5 in offense and defense for the season, making them the prohibitive favorite. However, the Clippers may be their biggest threat.