Last season didn't exactly end the way the Los Angeles Clippers had hoped, but they entered this one retaining plenty of optimism. Any team boasting Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, as well as Russell Westbrook and a host of other talent, has the capacity to cause plenty of damage, though most question marks surrounding them have related for those stars to actually get on the court and play.

There's no doubt that the George/Leonard experiment hasn't gone entirely to plan, but if they can remain healthy this is still a very dangerous team, and they showed as much in their season-opener. Granted it was only against what will be a very average Portland Trail Blazers outfit, but nonetheless the Clippers demonstrated what they can do with a healthy roster. With that in mind, these are four bold Clippers 2023-24 season predictions following their season-opening victory.

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Clippers to be top five in bench scoring

Last season, the Clippers were one of the better teams in the NBA in terms of bench scoring, with the 41.5 points they mustered per game from non-starters good for third in the league. Don't expect that to change this season, and if anything they could get even better. The primary reason for that is the presence of a couple of super talented scorers who would be starting for a lot of other teams in Norman Powell and Bones Hyland. Powell, of course, was there all of last season and played a significant role in a lot of those bench points, averaging 17.0 points per game and coming off the bench in 52 of his 60 games. Hyland, however, only headed to LA from Denver late in the season and played just 14 games for them. With those two leading the charge, they can again have a very productive bench this season.

Ivica Zubac to have a career year

Zubac has long shown good signs as the Clippers center, with his elite touch around the rim making him a valuable big man to play alongside numerous accomplished NBA stars. He's not typically one to set the world alight, but he is a strong fundamental player who has improved slowly year on year, and at 26 he's ready to take another step. Last season, he averaged 10.8 points and 9.9 rebounds in 28.6 minutes, all career highs, but he can up those numbers a decent amount this season. He was excellent in the Clippers season-opener, putting up 20 points on 8-10 shooting while also grabbing 12 boards and swatting 4 opposition shots. Don't expect him to average anything like those numbers, but he can certainly average a double-double and look to score closer to 13 or 14 points per game this season.

Clippers to finish top six in the West and avoid the play-in tournament

This might not sound like all that bold a prediction, but given the quality of opposition in the Western Conference and moreover in the Pacific Division, a top six finish is no mean feat. The Clippers will have a relatively tough fixture courtesy of the fact that each of the other four teams in their division have equally high hopes – if not higher – than they do this season. That will provide an added layer of difficulty to their season, but if – and it's a big if – their stars can remain healthy, they are very capable of staying right with those other Pacific teams. It's not beyond the realms of possibility for them to finish fourth in fifth in their division and still avoid the play-in, but they'd ideally be finishing ahead of at least a couple of the Kings, Warriors, Lakers and Suns.

Clippers to win a playoff series

Despite their undeniable talent, since their Conference Finals appearance back in 2020-21, the Clippers haven't won a playoff series. Two seasons ago they missed the playoffs altogether, while last season they were comprehensively dismantled in a five-game series against the Suns. They are more than capable of changing all that this season, though probably the biggest factor which will determine how far they can go is their health. Paul George and in particular Kawhi Leonard aren't exactly renowned for their durability, but for the Clippers to do any damage this year they'll need to play the majority of games and, most importantly, be available for the playoffs. If they are, then the Clippers are capable of making a solid playoff run.