Clippers training camp: 5 storylines following their best season yet

Clippers proprietor Steve Ballmer said precocious that his team’s achy 2020 postseason illness felt similar a distant memory, adjacent if it was conscionable a small much than a twelvemonth ago.

That’s been capable clip to heal, it turns retired — oregon possibly capable success?

In 2020-21, the Clippers missed their eventual extremity — that archetypal title — but they got person than ever earlier and adjacent walked distant wondering what-if?

What if Kawhi Leonard hadn’t been sidelined for their last 8 playoff games with what turned retired to beryllium a torn anterior cruciate ligament? What if the Clippers hadn’t had to navigate specified a grueling every-other-day docket for the entirety of June?

Still, the Clippers reached the Western Conference finals for the archetypal time, pushing the Phoenix Suns to six competitive, mostly down-to-the-wire games.

“There’s nary excuses, steadfast oregon unhealthy,” said Paul George aft L.A.’s season-ending loss. “You’re virtually 1 possession … successful each 1 of those games to this bid being a batch different.

“But,” helium added, “at the aforesaid time, you recognize the healthiest squad usually wins astatine this time. We were precise unfortunate to beryllium connected the atrocious broadside of that.”

The dinged-up Clippers came up short, but on the way, they affirmatively answered immoderate large questions.

How bully was caller manager Tyronn Lue? In the postseason especially, the team’s caller manager made bold people corrections arsenic the Clippers became the lone squad ever to doubly retrieve from 0-2 deficits, which had Ballmer describing his manager thusly: “Ty, for our team, wow!”

The much-discussed chemistry problem? If you see the tears tumbling down Reggie Jackson’s cheeks aft the season-ending nonaccomplishment to beryllium applicable evidence, indications suggest they solved it. Said Jackson that night: “This was a family.”

As for concerns astir however COVID-19 would impact the Clippers: They weren’t untouched by the wellness and information protocols, but they finished the regular play arsenic 1 of lone 3 teams who didn’t person a crippled rescheduled due to the fact that of them.

And what astir agelong term? Could the Clippers’ 2 homegrown stars bolt if the issues that plagued the 2020 squad lingered? No worries astir that now.

George signed a four-year, $190 cardinal declaration extension successful December, and Leonard — who faces months much of betterment pursuing country to repair his torn ACL — followed suit successful August, inking a caller four-year woody worthy $176.3 million.

Those issues resolved, present are 5 caller questions entering grooming campy this week.

How overmuch tin First-Option P springiness the Clippers?

Without his co-star beside him for the foreseeable future, the load connected George volition beryllium heavier than it has been going into a play since helium was an up-and-coming prima successful Indiana.

“He’s looking guardant to the challenge,” said President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank, who noted that George has “been successful this presumption before” and “has shown implicit the people of the vocation that he’s much than susceptible to emergence to the challenge.

“As a competitor, evidently you’d emotion for Kawhi to beryllium determination from time one, but we besides recognize what we’re dealing with and he’s looking guardant to it.”

George started past play astatine an MVP-caliber clip, averaging 24.7 points connected 51.5% shooting, 6.3 rebounds and 5.5 assists done his archetypal 15 games. A bony edema successful his toed slowed the Palmdale autochthonal midseason, but inactive helium was named an All-NBA 3rd teamer.

And erstwhile Leonard went down successful the playoffs, George recovered different cogwheel to assistance support the Clippers’ hopes afloat, averaging 29.6 points, 11.0 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.4 steals successful 41.6 minutes done L.A.’s past 8 games.

The Clippers volition request George to prolong comparatively superior regular-season play (and to enactment healthy) to beryllium competitory sans Kawhi.

What volition the Eric Bledsoe Restoration Project look like?

In a 2014 Instagram post, LeBron James tagged Bledsoe, tabbing him arsenic an All-Star “in nary time.”

It hasn’t rather played retired that mode arsenic the 6-foot-1 erstwhile Clipper bounced from Phoenix to Milwaukee to New Orleans.

A pugnacious defender and assertive rebounder astatine guard, Bledsoe’s regular-season numbers consistently eclipsed his postseason contributions erstwhile helium was with the Bucks, who won past season’s crown aft trading Bledsoe for Jrue Holiday.

Could Bledsoe’s instrumentality — helium arrives via a commercialized that sent Patrick Beverley, the Clippers’ erstwhile affectional leader, to the Memphis Grizzlies, who’d acquired Bledsoe days earlier successful different woody — supply an situation wherever helium tin efficaciously recalibrate his vocation trajectory? L.A. proved a bully relaunch pad for Jackson and Nicolas Batum past season.

Said Frank connected Bledsoe: “He has a batch to beryllium and is precise motivated to beryllium it.”

Can the Clippers’ starring relation players support it rolling?

L.A. wouldn’t person sniffed the league finals were it not for the ascendent play of Jackson and Batum, some of whom chose to instrumentality to the Clippers successful escaped bureau despite drafting attention from different suitors.

Jackson averaged 17.8 points connected 48.8% shooting successful the playoffs and Batum outperformed everyone’s expectations, including his own, by nailing his relation arsenic the “glue guy,” starring the Clippers successful minutes played (1,835) and, by astir precocious metrics, proving to beryllium 1 of the team’s astir impactful players.

It was rather a turnaround for both: Jackson was benched successful the bubble, wherever helium averaged 4.9 points, 0.9 assists and 1.9 rebounds successful conscionable 14.2 minutes. And Batum was benched successful Charlotte, wherever the Hornets prioritized younger players and shelved the Frenchman for each but 22 of his last 65 games with that franchise.

What are the Clippers’ interior plan plans?

Ivica Zubac, the Clippers’ ever-improving 7-footer, returns. So does Serge Ibaka, though Frank cautioned that the 32-year-old halfway will easiness into action aft undergoing backmost country successful June.

That leaves the Clippers bladed successful the post, truthful they’ve invited large men Harry Giles, Isaiah Hartenstein and Moses Wright to grooming camp, wherever the team’s 15th and last roster spot could beryllium determination for the taking.

Of course, Lue isn’t acrophobic to spell small; successful the playoffs especially, Batum and Marcus Morris Sr. stepped up efficaciously successful the post. Maybe the Clippers volition employment that sneaky-diminutive lineup much often during the regular season.

Will Kawhi play?

Whether Leonard returns astatine immoderate constituent this play volition spell a agelong mode to find however the Clippers’ communicative ends successful 2022.

Leonard underwent country connected July 13 to repair the torn ACL helium suffered successful Game 4 of the Clippers’ second-round bid against Utah. Since then, the Clippers person been wide astir his timetable to return: There isn’t one.

“Oh, we don’t adjacent breach that,” Frank said. “At this point, it’s conscionable nary 1 knows erstwhile you’re dealing with a betterment from an ACL (injury), the timeframe … nary 1 knows … we’ll conscionable fto his assemblage and the doctors archer america erstwhile it’s the close time.”

If helium tin travel backmost successful clip for a playoff push, the Clippers volition beryllium dangerous. And maybe, this time, they won’t beryllium near asking: What if?