The Los Angeles Clippers entered the 2022-23 season hopeful that they would be able to make good on their championship aspirations. Through four games, though, there have been some pretty notable concerns that have popped up that could derail them from that goal. The most notable concern is the fact that Kawhi Leonard is already missing time due to soreness in his recently repaired right knee.
Leonard has made his return to action this season off the bench in a limited capacity after missing the entire 2021-22 season due to a torn ACL. Leonard looked solid in his limited action, but the fact that he's now being forced to miss time due to his right knee is a big concern for the Clippers.
That adds to what's already become a lengthy list of concerns for the Clippers, highlighting how their season hasn't exactly started the way they would have liked for it to. Let's take a look at three big concerns for the Clippers that have popped up early on in the season and see why they could end up determining whether this current campaign is a success or a failure.
3. Will the Clippers be able to give Paul George enough help as Kawhi Leonard recovers?
With Leonard slowly making his way back to full health, Paul George has had to step up as the leader of the Clippers offense. It's a role George is familiar with, considering he had to do the same thing last season, but he got some help from his teammates along the way that has largely not been existent early on this season.
George has gotten some help from Leonard and John Wall when they have played, but other than maybe Marcus Morris Sr., nobody has been a consistent help for George. Reggie Jackson and Norman Powell in particular have looked awful to start the season, which is especially concerning considering they were expected to be big parts of the offense, even with Leonard on the court fully healthy.
Until Leonard returns to the starting lineup and is playing at his full capacity, the Clippers are going to need everyone to step up to replace him. It's only four games, but that hasn't happened so far, and until it does, Los Angeles is likely going to continue to struggle to find any sort of consistency on offense.
2. Will Paul George be able to assert himself as the leader of the Clippers offense?
The reason the previous concern is such an issue is because Paul George has struggled to fully assert himself on offense in the early going. George didn't play against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday night, and aside from his 40-point outburst against the Sacramento Kings, George has struggled to assert himself.
George was open in saying he was OK with taking a backseat to Leonard now that he's back, but it is clear he is going to have to be the leader of the offense for much of the season. Leonard isn't 100 percent healthy, and as we just saw above, the rest of the Clippers rotation hasn't exactly been great either.
Whether George can consistently assert himself in the offense right now remains to be seen. He's shown in the past he can, but through his first three games played, he's left a lot to be desired. As Leonard continues to work his way back to full health, George is going to have to step up or else the Clippers could find themselves in some serious early season trouble.
1. Will Kawhi Leonard's knee issues derail the Clippers season?
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, Leonard's knee issues are the biggest concern for the Clippers for several reasons. Not having him on the court hurts, but having him in and out of the lineup has thrown L.A.'s offense through a loop. It's also clear this team's potential will be significantly limited if Leonard is forced to miss time with this injury.
We have recently seen how players being on and off the court can destroy a team. The Brooklyn Nets, for example, were unable to make things work with Kyrie Irving playing only away games last season. A similar issue could arise for the Clippers if Leonard continues dealing with a cranky knee here.
This could merely be a bump in the road for Leonard and the Clippers, but it could also be a sign of worse things to come. Los Angeles hasn't looked great to start the season, and much of their future outlook depends on whether Leonard can find his way back to full health this season. This is a crucial issue to keep an eye on not just for Leonard, but the Clippers and his teammates as well, and it could determine how successful this season ends up being for Los Angeles.
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