Are there Deeper Issues in LA Clippers Around Paul George and Kawhi Leonard?

Published 09/29/2020, 11:45 AM EDT

LA Clippers took a massive step in protecting their franchise’s future by letting go of coach Doc Rivers. Rivers signed on as coach in 2013 after 9 successful years in Boston, which saw him win a championship in 2008.

He never replicated that success in LA, never even making it to a Conference Finals. Rivers oversaw the ‘Lob City’ Clippers and blew a 3-1 second-round lead with them as well, but against the Houston Rockets.

Rivers being fired after his team collapsed against the Denver Nuggets is a surprise to some, including the man himself. Ryen Russillo of The Ringer revealed that the issues of the team go beyond just Doc Rivers.

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This surprised Doc. From what I’m told he thought he was ok. But this locker room was an even bigger mess than I think we realized. Kawhi has never had to be a vocal leader and PG doesn’t have the respect of his teammates.
— Russillo (@ryenarussillo) September 28, 2020

Kawhi is notoriously silent on the court, focussing on letting the basketball do the talking. However, championship teams need their best player to also be vocal leaders.

Paul George took the reins of the vocal leader, which opened up a can of worms in itself. The locker room doesn’t respect PG13, as his lack of accountability during this post-season upset his teammates.

Los Angeles Clippers’ Teammates Not Happy With Paul George: REPORTS

LA Clippers heading into a scary off-season

LA shouldn’t scrap their team plans, of course. This was just the first season this team had together, but the window isn’t as large as it seems to many. Paul George and Kawhi Leonard could both leave next season if they chose to, as they have player options in their contracts. However, the Clippers should worry about the upcoming off-season to not let another season go to waste.

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Montrezl Harrell will be looking to test his value in the free agency market. In a relatively thin market, Harrell could generate some inflated offers, and by the looks of it, the Clippers may just be stretched too thin to bring him back next season. They also need a coach but have two great options on the bench in Tye Lue and Sam Cassell.

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However, LA needs to figure out what to do to fix their chemistry issues. The only way one does that is by bringing in a player with that sort of mentality. But do the Clippers even have the assets to attract anyone major to the team?

There are a whole host of questions they need to answer before the ball tips off next season. Hopefully, the issues with PG and Kawhi won’t linger long enough to poison another year.

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Written by:

Ishaan Bhattacharya is an NBA, NCAA Basketball, and Combat Sports writer at EssentiallySports. Currently, Ishaan is pursuing a Post Graduate Degree in Journalism from Xavier's Institute of Communication. Previously, Ishaan has written for The Indian Express, The Quint, Sportskeeda, and WrestleClub.

Are there Deeper Issues in LA Clippers Around Paul George and Kawhi Leonard?

LA Clippers heading into a scary off-season

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