Los Angeles Clippers looked like the favorites heading into the bubble, but have dealt with some setbacks. The LA Clippers lost Montrezl Harrell this week. ‘Trez had a personal situation to tend to and put up a story on Instagram saying “I’m not built for this”.
However, the Clippers will have their two injury-prone superstars healthy and ready to go. Kawhi Leonard won’t need to manage too much load for this sprint of a season. Paul George’s shoulders should have fully healed by now. The team is still waiting on arrivals of Ivica Zubac, Landry Shamet, and Marcus Morris Sr. With the season starting in 12 days, all these players will have less time to practice before the season resumes.
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Paul George brought up these chemistry issues in a recent press conference but believed that the team will ultimately be successful.
“It was a little frustrating because we played ourselves into that chemistry and that zone we were in. We were getting guys healthy, and that was really the team coming together. We added Reggie and Marcus, and we were starting to mold, shape, and come together. I think, ultimately, it’s going to pay off.”
LA Clippers sinking in the bubble?
The Clippers have started the bubble season short-handed and will need players to gel together quickly. Outside Kawhi, not many players on the team have made deep playoff runs. Paul George has a history of struggling in the playoffs, so he will be expected to carry his share fairly.
Clippers’ coach Doc Rivers is grateful at the extra practice time that has been made available and said that he is getting to work with players in individual practices. The team will have time to build chemistry, as they are almost a lock to keep their top-four seed in the Western Conference. They would rather keep the second or third seed to delay a possible Lakers’ matchup till the Western Conference.
Doc Rivers says one of the great benefits of the extra practice time they've had is the amount of individual work they can focus on. The team has their group practices, and then the courts open in the evening for individual workouts. Says they are able to break things down more
— Shane Young (@YoungNBA) July 18, 2020
The LA Clippers are currently second in the West, with 44 wins and 20 losses. They are one and a half games ahead of the third-seeded Denver Nuggets and three games ahead of the fourth-seed, Utah Jazz.
