LOS ANGELES – The LA Clippers may claim that they're not trying to send a message to start out the 2020-21 season. Heck, that may even be true. It's evident, however, that these Kawhi Leonard and Paul George-led Clippers are a much better version than last year's.

In their first two wins against the Lakers and Nuggets, the Clippers trailed for a grand total of two minutes and two seconds against last season's Western Conference finalists. 2:02! And still, a lot of work is left for to be done.

“We still got a lot of work to do,” head coach Tyronn Lue said after the Clippers' 2-0 start. “It's gonna be a process for the first couple of months. Just getting acclimated to one another, just trying to pick up the offense. I just think we're behind offensively a lot, to be able to take advantage of some mismatches, but defensively, you know we got a really good team, very versatile team. It's gonna get better and better defensively, but offensively just keep picking up what we're doing, keep sharing the basketball.”

The strong start has been led by Paul George, who is averaging 28 points, six rebounds, and six assists on 65.6 percent shooting from the field and 58.8 percent from beyond the arc. George scored 26 points of his 33 points in the second half of the first game to fend off a Lakers comeback. He then added a team high 23 points and nine assists against to Nuggets to fend off their comeback attempt following Kawhi Leonard's gruesome mouth laceration.

“I’m going to be aggressive regardless if I see plays where the shot is there to take defender one on one, I’m going to take it but I’m going to look to make plays. It’s not that I’m not going to be aggressive because I’m passing, I’m looking to break a team down, looking to get to the paint, make plays from there. If the shot is open for me and if it’s a one-on-one situation them I’m going to take it but it’s just reading the help, trying to make my teammates better.”

Facing the Nuggets for the first time presented a challenge within the challenge, at least from the outside looking in. Many dubbed this a rematch of the Western Conference semifinals. Questions for players and coaches repeatedly trickled back to last year and the impact the collapse had on this year's team. Even ESPN's broadcast team couldn't stop mentioning a Nuggets' comeback the second the Clippers took a double-digit lead in last night's game.

For George and the team, however, the past is in the past.

“[It does] nothing,” Paul George responded when asked the impact of tonight's win after last year's collapse. “I kind of buried last year, left last year in the bubble. That did nothing. Fact is, this is a new season. A new team. New goals. New everything. It did nothing. I buried that, I was ready and poised and confident coming into this year and prepared coming into the season.”

One player noticeably absent during the Clippers' start is Marcus Morris. Morris hasn't played in either of the team's first two games as he continues to deal with what the team is calling, ‘knee soreness.' Luckily, the guy replacing him in the starting lineup has been fantastic and possibly more than anyone expected. Nicolas Batum has arguably been the difference-maker in both Clippers' wins so far.

Batum averaged a mere eight points, eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals per game. None of those numbers are eye-popping, but Batum's rebounding, playmaking, defensive impact, and decision making has been nothing short of perfect.

“Nic's just an all around great player. He can handle the basketball, he can shoot it, he can post, he can pass, and he can defend. He can play multiple positions on the defensive end, switching one through five. And also, on the offensive end, he can play some two, three, and four, so he's very valuable. Also just knowing and reading the game.”

https://twitter.com/ClipperNationFR/status/1342718497563009025?s=20

The best part of Nicolas Batum's game and personality is that he might actually be the most selfless player on this Clippers team. He not only said as much, but it's something his game clearly displays.

“I don’t really care about what I’m doing, actually,” Batum admitted. “I just want to be sure the other guys are in a good position to be successful. I’ve been that way my whole career. That’s just the way I see the game and play the game for myself so when you got three guys who can score 20, 25 points a night, maybe more with Kawhi, PG and Lou, it’s easy for me to play that role because I don’t have to put pressure on myself.”

RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
darvin ham anthony davis lakers

Michael Corvo ·

Lakers vs. Nuggets Game 3 Results Simulated With NBA 2K24

Massimo Marchiano ·

Mavericks' Kyrie Irving, Mavericks' Jason Kidd both in front. Mavericks and Clippers logos in background.

Joey Mistretta ·

When the Nuggets made their run, trimming the Clippers' 24 point lead down to 11 midway through the fourth quarter with Jamal Murray on fire, everyone felt the deja vu coming. But among the players, there was no panic.

Throughout training camp, the focus was on defense and mental toughness, two things that stung the Clippers in the postseason.

“We never stop talking to each other,” Batum said. “During practice, film, video, in the locker room, on the bus, like every time. We try to correct each other. If someone did something wrong, we're gonna tell him. And it's nothing personal. One time before the Lakers game, I didn’t do a good thing in practice and Pat Bev went straight at me and I need that. We need that to be better as a team because nothing personal, we just have the same goal, we just want to win at the end and we know in the West, especially in this same city, it’s gonna be tough because that’s the NBA and that’s the Western Conference but we need that to be there for each other in the good and bad moments.”

Without Morris, both the starting unit and the second unit for the Clippers have been able to find their footing together. Morris' return will surely trigger another brief adjustment period, but Tyronn Lue has done a good job instilling the offensive system into the team thus far.

It's unclear whether Kawhi Leonard will suit up and play in Sunday afternoon's matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, but it's clear that Morris will not. In either scenario, the Clippers will be ready to have the next man step up in pursuit of a 3-0 start to the season.