Los Angeles Clippers: A season in review; a big summer ahead

The Los Angeles Clippers were one of the surprise teams this year, as they established themselves as a playoff team, but what does this mean moving forward?

The Los Angeles Clippers season is finally over after they fell to the mighty Golden State Warriors in six games (no, that is not a typo). They were one of the most fun teams to watch all year and were also one of the biggest surprises in the league as they almost came out of nowhere and are now in a prime position to take that next step towards contention!

Now with this year in the books, how does the Clips’ season look retrospectively and what does their future now look like, heading forward?

Fancy listening to me talk about this on the latest episode of the Around the Arc podcast? Just click on the link below!

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A season of smart moves and defied expectations

Starting out the year, this Clippers team had a decent assortment of talent that people thought could maybe contend for a playoff spot, led by head coach Doc Rivers. Those expectations were crushed as the Clips stormed out of the gate, at one point, having the best record in the Western Conference.

Though they wouldn’t maintain the same torrid pace heading into the new year, they would remain in the thick of the playoff race right up to the all-star break, when…

They traded away their leading scorer and best player at the time in Tobias Harris. In exchange, they did receive rookie guard, Landry Shamet (who’s beginning to emerge as one of the best shooters in the league) and two first round picks. This was a smart move because Harris was going to demand big money this summer and LA were likely not going to re-sign him. So, instead of letting him walk for nothing, they did gain some future assets and saved cap space too.

However, again, this led to the majority counting this team out, saying that they’ll just tank the rest of the season and totally fall out of the playoff race. But instead of bowing to those expectations, this team really came together and continued to scrap and claw and fight… and win.

By the time the season finished, the Clippers had won 48 games and had, indeed made it into the postseason after everyone had counted them out.

Another challenge proceeded to present itself though…

LA had drawn the short straw and was going to face the defending champ Warriors in round 1. And as we all then went on to count them out once again, saying this would be a sweep (or a gentlemen’s sweep at a push), the resilient Clippers were biding their time, chomping at the bit, waiting to prove us all wrong, once again.

And no, they didn’t win the series but they did have a 31-point comeback victory in Game 2 (the biggest comeback in NBA playoff history) and they also picked up an equally improbable win in Game 5 (also in Oakland). Despite the glaring talent gap, this Clippers team never showed any fear, never showed any quit and collectively put the rest of the basketball world on notice.

The Greatest Free Agency Pitch Ever?

So what does this fairytale season mean for the Clippers’ future?

Instead of remaining in basketball limbo, maintaining their mediocrity, the “lesser” LA team has vaulted themselves into the discussion as one of the best free agency destinations out there.

They’re still in the city of angels, but appear to have a lot more organizational stability than the Lakers do. Doc Rivers proved this year that he is still a top coach in this league. And perhaps above all else, this group played the game the right way. They fought hard, played together, for each other and showed all of the marquee free agents to be that the Lakers are not the only prime-time destination anymore.

And with guys like Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler, and Kevin Durant all expressing interest in the Clippers, this is looking to be a very exciting – and possibly league-defining – offseason.

Aside from free agency, the Clips also have plenty of assets going forward. Their young guys like Shamet and Gilgeous-Alexander are only going to get better from here. They have their draft picks that they acquired in the Tobias Harris trade and they also have plenty of cap flexibility.

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A few years ago, this Clippers team was viewed as a fringe contender that always fell short and disappointed in the playoffs. After that, they seemed destined to return to being an average team and an afterthought of a franchise but in a metaphorical blink of an eye, they now have one of the more promising futures in the league!