The Los Angeles Clippers might have been one of the preseason favorites to win the NBA title, but they have a long way to go before reaching their full potential, at least according to their head coach.
Doc Rivers called his team a “work in progress” in the wake of an uninspiring run of games (via Jovan Buha of The Athletic):
“It is what it is,” Doc Rivers said. “I can’t change it. I don’t panic about it or pressure about it. Tonight, what’s the date? January whatever. There is not a lot that we can do about it today. If we play like that in May or April, that will hurt us. Then I wouldn’t be good about it. It is another, you can see it, and our guys can see it, so it is another lesson — not lesson, just something we can look at and keep changing and keep getting better.
“That is what we are. We are a work in progress. We got to keep getting better.”
Just over a week ago, Clippers big man Montrezl Harrell criticized his team's effort while suggesting L.A. were not one of the best teams in the league. Though the Clippers have won each of their last two games since Harrell made those comments, they eked out single-digit wins against the lowly New York Knicks and Golden State Warriors. Those results hardly inspire more confidence.
Nevertheless, Rivers has every right to evoke a sense of patience. There have been plenty of rotational adjustments, most notably Kawhi Leonard's load management. The rest of L.A.'s roster is adapting to playing with a pair of superstars in Leonard and Paul George.
Yet, at 27-12, the Clippers still have the second-best record in the Western Conference. They remain as dangerous as any team in the NBA.
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