As August comes to a close, the LA Clippers are just a few short weeks from opening up their state-of-the-art Intuit Dome for its first ever basketball game. With Kawhi Leonard and James Harden set to lead the group, what can really be expected from this year's LA Clippers team?
The Clippers roster
With many different potential routes on the table, the LA Clippers quickly moved on from Paul George and pivoted instead towards building a team around their remaining two stars. Kawhi Leonard and James Harden will have to do the bulk of the scoring for them, but their responsibilities were trimmed down with regards to the other end of the court.
Derrick Jones Jr., Kris Dunn, and Nicolas Batum are all players who will take defensive responsibilities alongside Terance Mann and Ivica Zubac. With many combinations on the table, the Clippers should have a solid defensive lineup at all times.
Kawhi Leonard was a healthy scratch from Team USA this past summer at the Paris Olympics, but all indications are that he'll be ready when the Clippers begin training camp in Hawaii on October 1st.
With the departure of George, all indications are that Ivica Zubac, Terance Mann, and Norman Powell will be taking increased roles offensively to help make up for it. Zubac and Mann have shown tremendous growth, capped off by a strong playoff series last year. Powell will be relied upon much more as a ball-handler after taking more of a backset with the arrivals of Russell Westbrook and James Harden in the last two seasons.
The only remaining question marks around the Clippers as training camp nears is the same thing it has been for the last couple of seasons: What will they do about their power forward position and can their stars be healthy when the calendar flips to April.
Last season, the Clippers were not able to address their power forward needs following the trade for James Harden, and as of right now, they appear to be content with where they are.
The power forward spot
The LA Clippers don't have many avenues left to exhaust in order to improve the roster. Losing Paul George opened up both the non-taxpayer mid-level exception — used to sign Derrick Jones Jr. — as well as the bi-annual exception — used to sign Nicolas Batum.
The Clippers were able to trade Russell Westbrook to the Jazz for Kris Dunn while adding Mo Bamba and Kevin Porter Jr. as free agents.
As of mid-August, the Clippers have still been unable to find a feasible trade package that would allow them to move off of PJ Tucker. Their attempts dating back to the 2023-24 regular season have not been fruitful, with many teams expecting the Clippers to attach draft compensation in order to spice up the package.
The Athletic's Law Murray reported earlier this month that the Clippers are preparing as if PJ Tucker will be on the roster entering training camp, and everything appears to be trending in that direction barring any moves heading into the final weeks of September.
The Philadelphia 76ers agreed to a deal with French forward and former Boston Celtic Guerschon Yabusele on Sunday morning. Yabusele, who had a strong 2024 Paris Olympics performance, selected the Sixers among a number of interested suitors, including the LA Clippers.
The Clippers expressed interest in signing Guerschon Yabusele after his stellar performance at the Paris Olympics, league sources not authorized to speak publicly told ClutchPoints. Yabusele, who could play either forward position, would've been a solid fit for a team that has been actively seeking frontcourt depth.
Yabusele also played with current Clippers forward Nicolas Batum on the French National Team, which won silver at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Clippers' problem is that they've completely maxed out available roster spots with all 15 guaranteed deals, both two-way spots — Jordan Miller and Trentyn Flowers, and four exhibit 10 (training camp) deals — Kai Jones, Elijah Harkless, RayJ Dennis, and Kevon Harris — for a grand total of 21 spots.
Yabusele ended up signing with the Philadelphia 76ers on one-year, $2.1 million deal. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Yabusele caught the eye of many in the NBA in Paris. Multiple teams were interested in his services as a result of his stellar play, with the Sixers winning those sweepstakes.
The forward who is often called the, “Dancing Bear,” averaged 14 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.0 assist across six games for France en route to the second place finish. As the team's second-leading scorer behind Victor Wembanyama, Yabusele shot 51.9 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from three throughout the tournament.
He really shined during the three knockout stages of the Olympics, where he led the team in scoring averaging 19.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.0 assist, and 1.0 steal per game while shooting 55.9 percent from the field. He also attempted 22 free throws in the knockout rounds, shooting 81.9 percent from the line.
In addition to Yabusele, the Clippers have also been intrigued by French forward Mathias Lessort, who also played well during the Olympic run, sources told ClutchPoints. He, however, is coming off a Euroleague championship with Panathinaikos Basketball Club and being named MVP of the Greek League Finals.
As it stands, it appears Kawhi Leonard will handle the bulk of the power forward minutes with some spot minutes from guys like Nicolas Batum or, in some smaller lineups, Derrick Jones Jr.
The young Clippers
Summer League saw the Clippers finish with a semifinal loss by just one point at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies. Jordan Miller, Kobe Brown, and Cam Christie all impressed in what was a very successful overall summer tournament.
Following their strong run, a number of those players have continued playing together at organized pickup runs in Los Angeles. Kobe Brown has been described as the best Clippers player at some of the runs this month, and Jordan Miller has looked like a different player as he enters his second season in the league. Norman Powell has also been a regular at these open runs as part of his tenacious offseason workout regimen. Terance Mann and James Harden also participated before leaving town for their other respective obligations.
Of all the young players, Brown is the player who will likely receive the greatest opportunity to contribute right away, given the Clippers' hole at the power forward spot. Kawhi Leonard, Derrick Jones Jr. and Nicolas Batum will likely take the majority of those minutes, but if the Clippers can get solid defense and some offensive production from Brown, that would go a long way towards opening up other things for the Clippers.
Jordan Miller expressed his desire to sign a standard NBA contract in Summer League, and that remains his goal as his second season is set to begin. As noted with the forward spot above, the Clippers simply don't have a roster spot at the moment.
Bones Hyland is another big question mark for the Clippers. The departure of Russell Westbrook should have, in theory meant the backup guard spot belonged to Hyland. Instead, the Clippers went out and signed Kris Dunn and Kevin Porter Jr., further complicating the Clippers' backcourt situation.
President of Basketball Operations said the team and Hyland's representation would work together on a pathway to play if that pathway was not available on the Clippers, so it remains to be seen what the team ends up doing with him.
Training camp for the Clippers is set to begin on October 1, 2024, the day after Media Day in Inglewood, CA. In an ideal world, Kawhi Leonard and James Harden play 72+ games, giving the Clippers a solid chance to make the playoffs in an ever-competitive Western Conference.
Given how this roster currently looks while assuming that Harden and, mainly Leonard, will probably have to miss some time this year, a 45-37 record as play-in team is what would be my guess as to where the Clippers end up.
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