During the offseason, Clippers star Kawhi Leonard chose to undergo knee surgery and has now officially stated that he will not be joining the team for their upcoming three-game road trip. This means that the All-Star small forward will miss all of the 2024 games, spending the remaining time in San Diego for rehabilitation training. However, this behavior has sparked considerable controversy. As early as mid-December, it was reported that Leonard had already resumed partial on-court training, and if everything went smoothly, he was expected to return to the court in two weeks. Now, everyone who cares about him has become a clown, leaving the team to rely solely on Harden and Powell to carry the load. Despite achieving an 18-13 record since the start of the season, without Leonard, it seems unlikely that they can compete for the championship.
According to the latest report by renowned journalist Shams, Leonard is set to make his comeback on January 5, 2025, marking his first appearance of the new season. The versatile player, who averages 20 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1.7 steals per game in his career, will alleviate the pressure on James Harden at both ends of the court. Currently, competition in the Pacific Division is fierce, with the Los Angeles Clippers securing the top spot in the division thanks to their strong defense. Meanwhile, the Lakers, Suns, Warriors, and Kings behind them are experiencing significant internal lineup issues. The Sacramento general manager took the initiative to challenge the status quo by firing head coach Mike Brown.
The Suns' performance plummeted after losing Booker, a key scorer, dropping from the top four in the West to outside the play-in tournament. Similarly, the Golden State Warriors have not seen a positive chemical reaction after acquiring Schroder and have lost 11 out of their last 14 games, making the Lakers stand out. As the most influential team in Los Angeles, they have successfully secured a top-eight spot in the West under the leadership of James and Anthony Davis, although the performance of their role players has been less than satisfactory.
Although the 35-year-old Harden cannot match the peak performance of Davis in terms of superstar hard solutions, the Clippers' current reputation and attendance rates have steadily improved along with their rebounding record, especially due to the significant impact of the management's offseason acquisitions. Retaining Harden, renewing Zubac's contract for $58 million, pursuing Little Jones and Dunn, and hiring Jeff Van Gundy from the defending champions have significantly upgraded both the coaching staff and the team roster.
So far, head coach Tyronn Lue has mentioned that the team has been practicing tactics with Leonard in the lineup during training to maintain rhythm upon his return. He also added that the newcomers are gradually adapting to playing alongside Leonard. With such a system complementing Leonard, the Clippers have the potential to become a major contender for the championship. Unexpectedly, the Los Angeles Lakers may be replaced by the Clippers in the subsequent playoffs. Although Pelinka's trading ability is outstanding, his lack of action over the past two seasons has further led to the absence of a stable third scoring option within the team to help alleviate the pressure on the core players.
When frontcourt players like Vanderbilt, Wood, and Hayes were unable to play, the Lakers managed to maintain their eighth position in the West, but this situation does not allow them to rest easy. The more than 50 million in injured players has made Pelinka aware of the severity of the problem. If no action is taken, it will not be James who leaves Los Angeles next year. The management is willing to give up three future first-round picks to find a future championship puzzle piece, which is a good idea, but it seems unlikely that any team would be willing to cooperate. It must be said that the Lakers' current predicament is entirely related to Pelinka.
