The NBA faced a lot of shakeups after the trade deadline. Rosters already look unrecognizable from what they were just half a season ago. This is just a testament to how much player empowerment has peaked in the league. All of this swept the Los Angeles Clippers' moves under the rug but they still remained strong contenders to grab the Larry O'Brien trophy come summer of next year. But, before this, they still need to answer some glaring concerns during the Clippers training camp which revolve around Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George.

How will the Clippers distribute Kawhi Leonard's minutes?

A hefty punishment awaits the team if Kawhi Leonard pursues his usual way of load management. One path that could circumvent this issue would be to finally address how much playing time their star player gets during the Clippers training camp. He could realistically play 70 games this year but it will take some adjustments.

Leonard places the Clippers on such a high two-way ceiling whenever he is on the floor with Paul George and Russell Westbrook. But, he cannot be fully impactful if he plays his usual 50 to 60 games for the season. He was on the court for just 52 of their matchups last year. His stint with the Clippers has been riddled with injuries which prevents him from reaching an insane All-NBA ceiling.

The tradeoff that the team is facing lies in balancing his appearances on the court and the amount of time he stays there. If he plays too many minutes in a lot of games, Leonard will definitely experience a lot of fatigue which may lead to injuries before the postseason. On the other hand, he will have a significantly less impact if given fewer minutes despite playing a ton of matchups. Which will it be?

Will Russell Westbrook stick with being a sixth man?

Russell Westbrook has expressed his desire to win the award when he joined the squad after his stint with the Los Angeles Lakers. In the last 52 games of his stint with the other LA team, he only started in three of their games. He came alive in this role and was an effective microwave for the team.

With Leonard and George, he was a starter in all of the matchups that they faced whether it was in the regular season or the playoffs. He gave the same level of production in both stints. His 15.8 points and 7.6 assists with the Clippers are similar to the 15.9 points he netted on top of 7.5 assists with the Lakers. After all, the three stars can share the ball and stretch the defense when playing together.

However, a primary concern is giving way to the fairly deep guard rotation that they have entering the Clippers training camp. Westbrook showed his ability to lead a bench unit last season. Terance Mann and Bones Hyland have proven to be serviceable floor generals with the other starters before Westbrook came in as well. However, are they good enough to endure this duty for a whole season?

Is their big-man rotation sufficient?

Kawhi Leonard and Paul George's deals with the team are not getting any younger nor are they getting cheaper per season. This could be a run where they could all make it to win the whole thing and come out of the Western Conference. But, they need to fix this glaring hole during the Clippers' training camp first.

They were ranked 18th among all teams in total rebounds per game last season. Their blocks per game also sat at 21st. All of these are realistic concerns given that they do not have a constant steady presence on the paint and above the rim. Their interior defense is also at 18th which is not a good look for the team.

Ivica Zubac, Mason Plumlee, Robert Covington, and Moussa Diabate might not cut if they are gunning for a title. Will we see moves ahead of the season or even the trade deadline?