A lot remains uncertain for them, but at the very least, the Los Angeles Clippers – playing inconsistent basketball for stretches of the 2022-23 campaign, entered the All-Star break on a high. They beat the Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns, two other teams with championship aspirations, with the latter victory coming despite a lackluster performance from talisman Kawhi Leonard.

The talent on the Clippers roster means they would always have a shot at a title barring any unforeseen injury woes. However, having a 33-28 record at present with a barely-positive point differential means that they have a lot of work ahead of them if they were to make good on their promise as a title-winning team.

Their three trade deadline additions will certainly help. In particular, the addition of Eric Gordon gives the Clippers another perimeter player with much-needed playoff viability, while Mason Plumlee solves the Clippers' alarming lack of center depth behind Ivica Zubac. In addition, Bones Hyland gives LA a young gun who can speed up the game in transition.

But at the end of the day, the Clippers' title aspirations will hinge on the performances of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Fans know that as long as Leonard is healthy, he's as good a bet as any to deliver in the postseason. But George has had plenty of lows in the postseason before that fans will be hoping won't emerge in the upcoming stretch run.

With that said, here's one fatal flaw the Clippers must fix as they try to continue their strong play well beyond the All-Star break.

Clippers' fatal flaw: Tendency to settle for jumpers/lack of paint touches

Love him or hate him, there's a reason why the Clippers are signing Russell Westbrook off the buyout market. Make no mistake about it, Westbrook is a flawed player. Sometimes, his flaws can prove to be too crushing for a team looking to make a deep postseason run. But in his declined state, Westbrook still remains one of the better players in the league in getting to the hoop, an area the Clippers need to address if they were to make themselves an even deadlier outfit come postseason time.

The Clippers rank 20th in the league in drives per game and 27th in the league in paint touches, per NBA.com tracking. That on its own is not indicative of an unproductive offense. The Philadelphia 76ers and Dallas Mavericks, which rank sixth and eighth in points scored per 100 possessions, respectively, have even less paint touches than the Clippers.

But as talented as Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are, they're not quite as adept as Joel Embiid and Luka Doncic in manufacturing easy shots – whether by drawing fouls (Embiid and Doncic rank second and third in free-throw attempts per game, respectively) or by finding open teammates on the perimeter like Doncic can.

Moreover, the Clippers rank dead last in the league in shots made from less than 10 feet. Again, this is not a concern on its own. It's mainly indicative of the Clippers' jumpshot stylings.

Part of it is Leonard and George's skillset. Leonard and George love their pull-ups, and the Clippers as a team take after their stars in that regard; the Clippers rank third in the league in pull-up shots per game, and third as well in terms of frequency of shots taken off the dribble.

While it makes no sense to neuter Kawhi Leonard and Paul George's skillsets (they still rank fifth in field-goal percentage on pull-ups), the Clippers should do well by decreasing their reliance on shots that have higher variance, which makes them a bit prone to game-to-game inconsistency.

As much of a focus there is on stretching the floor given the NBA's three-point revolution, touching the paint allows teams to control the game, whether by presenting a defensive dilemma or by controlling the free-throw game. Clippers fans would attest to some of their players' tendency to settle for jumpers even when they're in the bonus.

All in all, the Clippers rank 21st in offensive rating, a disappointment given the talent present on the roster. During Kawhi Leonard and Paul George's first two seasons in LA, they ranked second and third, respectively, in offensive rating. By and large, their style of play has not changed. But the results certainly have. A sign of a true contending team is its ability to adjust to its present circumstances.

Thus, it makes sense for the Clippers to make a much more concerted effort to put pressure on the rim. Adding Mason Plumlee does that, and Terance Mann, their new starting point guard, has made it a point to attack the paint more often in recent games. Adding Russell Westbrook will also help in that regard.

At the end of the day, however, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George will have to force the issue inside more often lest they see their season end in disappointment once more.