The Los Angeles Clippers haven't exactly found life after the All-Star break to be the smoothest of sails. From holding the number one seed in the Western Conference for one day back in January, the Clippers have fallen to the fourth seed after a string of uninspiring performances leave their fans wondering whether or not this current iteration of the team has what it takes to bring home the franchise's first-ever Larry O'Brien trophy.

In particular, the Clippers' past few weeks have left a sour taste in the mouths of fans; they have fallen flat in contests against fellow Western Conference playoff-caliber teams in the Oklahoma City Thunder and Sacramento Kings and to make matters worse, they blew a 21-point lead to their in-city rival Los Angeles Lakers in their most recent outing. Even their lone post-All-Star break win against the Memphis Grizzlies was unimpressive.

Nonetheless, the Clippers need not panic. They are still in fourth place in the Western Conference standings with a 37-20 record, which puts them in a position to secure homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Now, all they need to do is lock in and not take anything for granted as they look to secure a more favorable spot in the playoff picture.

Here are a few bold predictions for how the final 25 games of the season turn out for the Clippers after their malaise-filled post All-Star break February rut.

PJ Tucker never sees a minute on the court again for the Clippers after their debacle vs. the Lakers

With Paul George and Ivica Zubac out due to knee injury and illness, respectively, the Clippers had to dust off PJ Tucker, the 38-year old forward, so they can play a nine-man rotation during their last game as the home team in Crypto.com Arena against the Lakers. Tucker has been out of the rotation for most of the Clippers' season, leading to the veteran's discontent with his lack of playing time, but it's becoming crystal clear why the veteran must not see the floor at all when the team is fully healthy.

During his heyday in the late 2010s, Tucker was one of the best small-ball options at the four and five spots thanks to his three-point marksmanship from the corners. Last season, the veteran shot 39.3 percent from deep with the Philadelphia 76ers. The problem is that Tucker is too averse to taking any shots that the Clippers may as well play four on five on offense when he's out there on the court. Even head coach Tyronn Lue didn't seem too pleased with Tucker's zero shot tendency.

Even though PJ Tucker doesn't do too much on offense, his teams could rely on him to provide a steady hand on the defensive end. He can purportedly hold his own against taller and bigger interior players while also being mobile enough to keep up on the perimeter. Alas, Tucker's advanced age seems to have sapped him of his defensive impact. Against the Lakers, Tucker was at the center of a few defensive miscommunications, while he was also LeBron James' primary defender when James began to pop off during that fateful comeback.

If the Clippers are serious about hanging onto their top-four spot and aim to keep in stride with the West's top three, they should consider not giving Tucker any minutes at all like they did when they turned things around earlier in the season.

Daniel Theis takes over backup center role

The Clippers received a gift when Daniel Theis joined the team after securing a buyout from the Indiana Pacers. Theis is a battle-tested veteran who always looks like a much better player on a better team, and given the Clippers' lack of frontcourt depth, getting a player of his versatile big man skillset is quite a godsend.

In recent weeks, however, the Clippers have opted to roll with Mason Plumlee as the team's backup center. Plumlee provides more vertical spacing for the team, making him a solid fit alongside Russell Westbrook off the bench as the two can run pick-and-rolls well against worse lineups. But Plumlee's lack of shooting, overzealous dribbling, and uninspiring defense should convince the Clippers to utilize the more well-rounded Theis, who started in their meltdown against the Lakers, more often moving forward.

Amir Coffey cracks the playoff rotation

Is it a bold prediction to call that Amir Coffey will be making the Clippers' playoff rotation? Given how big of a fan Tyronn Lue is of Coffey's skillset, it's not quite the most out there prediction. Nevertheless, the Clippers prefer to keep rotations short in the playoffs, which could mean that Coffey may be on the outside looking in when the playoffs roll around.

However, in situations where Russell Westbrook is dared to shoot wide-open threes (and he can't make them), the Clippers may have to opt to give some of his minutes to Coffey instead so they can avoid lulls when the 2017 NBA MVP is schemed out of the game.