It was July 5, 2019 when the Los Angeles Clippers made arguably their biggest moves in franchise history by trading for Paul George to convince Kawhi Leonard to sign in free agency. Leonard was coming off an impressive 2019 playoff run with the Toronto Raptors which culminated in a championship win.
Thus, it definitely made sense for the Clippers to do whatever was necessary to convince one of the greatest playoff performers of all time to join perhaps the most snakebitten franchise in NBA history.
However, it's Year 4 of Leonard and George's stint together in Southern California, and they have nothing but a singular Western Conference Finals appearance to show for it. While that in and of itself is an achievement given the Clippers' terrible past, this definitely falls short of the lofty expectations they brought upon themselves in the summer of 2019.
It seems like time and time again over the past four years, there's been something — anything — that derails the Clippers' playoff hopes.
In 2020, the Clippers' chemistry problems came to the forefront, and they weren't able to maintain the requisite mental fortitude necessary to win a championship in the bubble, as much of an asterisk as there may be to some fans regarding that title win.
Meanwhile, in 2021, it definitely looked like the Clippers were starting to click, going down 2-0 in their first two playoff series notwithstanding. But Kawhi Leonard unfortunately tore his ACL in Game 4 of their second-round matchup against the Utah Jazz, effectively reducing the Clippers' championship hopes to zero.
And then in 2022, Leonard and Paul George couldn't shake the injury bug, which proved to be a foreshadowing of their undoing the following season, as the Clippers' two stars were unable to suit up with their season on the line against the Phoenix Suns.
It's easy to blame the two for the Clippers' playoff failure this season, but that definitely seems unfair, as these two did not choose to suffer an injury. Injuries, for better or for worse, are mostly out of an individual's control anyway.
Thus, it's definitely fairer to pinpoint which member of the Clippers organization is to blame for something within their control.
Here are two Clippers to blame for yet another failed season with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Tyronn Lue
Make no mistake about it, Tyronn Lue is a quality head coach. Lue has proven to be one of the most tactically savvy coaches in the league, and he's not afraid to tinker with rotations in the playoffs. Lue, at the very least, is also able to motivate his players to give it their all, as the Clippers, despite missing Kawhi Leonard and Paul George against the Suns, did not go down without a fight.
However, Lue also deserves his fair share of blame for a few baffling decisions that may have cost the Clippers a few wins, putting them in a position where they need Leonard to log a heavy regular season workload just to compensate.
For starters, Lue, for all his postseason tinkering prowess, remained stubborn with his rotation decisions for stretches. He stuck with the likes of Reggie Jackson and John Wall even though the two point guards were struggling. Wall, in particular, looked cooked, and even then, he logged heavy minutes in his last game as a member of the Clippers organization.
But what has irked fans the most this past season, and for good reason, is his stubbornness when it came to Marcus Morris Sr. Lue clearly values the offensive punch Morris brings to the Clippers starting lineup. But it became evident sooner than later that Morris was no longer the offensive force he was in the past. And to make matters worse, Morris has lost a step or two on the defensive end, making him a liability if he wasn't draining his shots.
Lue adjusted to end the season by replacing Morris in the starting lineup with Nicolas Batum, but by then, it was already too late, as the Clippers were facing an uphill climb just to avoid the play-in tournament altogether. But it was apparent that old habits die hard, as Lue later re-inserted Morris back into the starting lineup in the playoffs against the Suns.
Lue appears to be on track to return as the Clippers' head coach for next season, so they will need him to coach the entire season with a greater sense of urgency than he showed this past season.
Marcus Morris Sr.
This doesn't need much explaining. Morris' defensive impact has declined, his scoring became superfluous with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George around, and he has a tendency to be a ball-stopper on offense. Clippers fans let out a collective groan every single time Morris chucks a contested midrange jumper while falling away.
Morris has had plenty of good moments in a Clippers uniform. In 2020 and 2021, Morris' shot-making was crucial, especially when George was struggling. But in 2023, Morris' overall impact no longer warrants the kind of minutes that his head coach gives him on a regular basis.
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