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The Los Angeles Clippers just dismantled the Minnesota Timberwolves en route to a 129-102 victory on Saturday night. After starting out the season slow with a 1-4 mark, Paul George and the Clippers are now winners of their last seven games. They look to ride the momentum to their showdown with Zach LaVine and the revitalized Chicago Bulls on Sunday on the tail end of a back-to-back.
With their 7-game winning streak, L.A. now moves into a three-way tie with the Dallas Mavericks and the Denver Nuggets for the third-best record in the Western Conference at 8-4. This is certainly an impressive start for a Clippers team that many had tempered their expectations with since they are without their superstar forward Kawhi Leonard. The Klaw's absence seems to have been glaring with their poor start early on. But it looks like L.A. has recovered and regained the identity they developed when they made their run to the Western Conference Finals this past May.
With that said, here are three reasons why Paul George and the L.A. Clippers' early-season success is for real.
Paul George and Clippers' early season success
1. Defense is holding down the fort
Defense has been the no. 1 reason why the Clippers have recovered from their slump at the start of the season. Following their win over the Timberwolves, the Clippers moved to third in the NBA in defensive rating, per NBA.com. L.A. is also second in opponent's field goal percentage, fifth in points allowed per contest, and sixth in turnovers forced per game.
The Clippers have always been one of the top defensive teams in the league since Kawhi Leonard and Paul George came along. Without Leonard, many expected a drop off from the Clips, including on the defensive side of the floor. But alas, even without the 2-time Defensive Player of the Year, L.A.'s defensive identity is very much still there.
Head coach Tyronn Lue has done a great job in instilling the defensive system on his team and he has the right kind of personnel to go with it. PG13 is obviously still one of the best individual defenders in the NBA. Terance Mann, Eric Bledsoe, and Reggie Jackson are bringing that grit and energy on defense. Meanwhile, Nicolas Batum has revitalized his career in L.A. and is providing the disciplined defense he has always been known for.
If the Clippers continue to lock up teams like they have been throughout this run, they should remain a problem in the Western Conference, even without Kawhi Leonard.
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2. Paul George is playing like an MVP
With Kawhi Leonard in street clothes, Paul George has stepped up his game to another level this season, similar to the way he did in the playoffs when the 2-time Finals MVP initially went down. George is carrying a heavy workload with a 33.5 usage rate through 12 games so far, the 3rd most in the league. PG13 is averaging 26.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 2.3 steals while shooting 46.5 percent from the field so far on the season.
George's numbers are close to what they were when he finished 3rd in MVP voting in the 2018-19 season as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder. He currently ranks 4th in points per game, and 5th in steals per game. While his production has been elite, his intangibles and leadership have been major reasons why the Clippers are surging. Currently at 4th in the NBA's latest Kia MVP Ladder, George looks like he's playing inspired and motivated to lead this Clips team as the main man.
If Paul George continues to play at this level for the rest of the season, the Clippers should remain as one of the top teams in the West, even without Kawhi Leonard.
3. Supporting cast is picking up the slack
The Clippers are obviously missing one of their top offensive talents in Leonard. Without their best scorer over the past two seasons, the Clippers will need to find the offense elsewhere. As mentioned earlier, Paul George has done a magnificent job leading this undermanned team without his main partner-in-crime. But the “others” have also done their part in keeping the ship afloat as they continue to tread the waters without Leonard.
Aside from George's 26.4 points per game, six other Clippers are scoring in double-figures for L.A. After a slow start to the year, Reggie Jackson is slowly regaining the form that Clips fans saw from him in the 2021 playoffs, where he was absolutely magnificent. Nic Batum, Luke Kennard, Ivica Zubac, Eric Bledsoe, and Terance Mann are all averaging just over 10 points a night. Those may n0t be standout numbers, but the by-committee approach seems to be working for a Clippers team missing a 25-point per game scorer in Leonard.
