9. LA Clippers
After getting off to a 1-4 start to the season, the LA Clippers have been one of the hottest teams in the league in the last 11 games. They’re 8-3 over that span and have the league’s third-best defense and fifth-best net rating.
Paul George has been magnificent this season and should be an early MVP candidate. He’s averaging 26 points, eight rebounds, and five assists per game on 44 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent shooting from 3-point range.
The Clippers are inching up the West standings but don’t think they’ll be taken seriously as a contender until we get some clarification on the Kawhi Leonard situation. Quite frankly, they’re not a contender without him.