Text/Simon
The 2022-23 season will be the fourth year of the Kawhi Leonard and Paul George Clippers era, and most people are looking forward to how high this team of star-studded offensive and defensive forces can reach. In addition to this pair of star strikers, the Clippers lineup also has a very good lineup and depth through out-of-season reinforcements. Every position has players with different experiences and different styles of play, plus tactician master Tyronn Lue, many pre-season bets. The speedboats are listed in the championship favorites.
The only weaker guard also added 5-degree All-Star John Wall. Although he has only played 113 games in the past 5 years due to injuries, at least Wall has returned from training camp to the warm-up game.
In addition, Leonard and George are also back from injury. Of course, the most important point of the Clippers’ new season is health. “I’m looking forward to this season. Since I joined Los Angeles, I haven’t seen the health of the entire team. This season is very good for us. From the beginning, I also want to know what kind of state I can reach when I can do my best.”
Below we list the 5 key points for watching the Clippers in the new season.
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Can Kawhi Leonard get back to his heyday?
It’s been a long time since Leonard tore the ACL in his right knee in Game 4 of the second round of the playoffs on June 14, 2021. Back in the 2021 playoffs, Leonard averaged 30.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.1 steals and 57.3 percent shooting.
After spending 14 months rehabilitating and training, Leonard is more visible to the naked eye in the training photos released recently. “He looks more agile and lean.” George said, “The whole person looks more muscular and bigger. Like a tank, defending once morest him would be a nightmare.”
The Clippers will be very careful with Leonard’s health and load management. The Clippers have a very full first half of the schedule, 61 games before the star break, and 11 second-straight games before February (15 for the entire season), so Leonard is very good. There may be a truce in back-to-back games.
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Returning from an ACL injury It is not easy to fully return to the peak, especially Leonard’s style of play requires explosive force and physical collision, but Leonard has experience in facing this situation. In the 2018-19 season, Leonard was also in the front. In the case of only 9 games in a season, he returned from injury, played 60 games in the regular season, and finally led the Tyrannosaurus to win the championship with full output in the playoffs.
“I haven’t played 5-on-5 in the off-season, and I haven’t had any confrontation work, but everything is as natural as it used to be on the court,” Leonard said following the warm-up, playing 16 minutes in his first game. , scored 11 points and 4 rebounds. “The same is true for me in the 2018-19 season. For the first time, I was with my teammates.”
The Clippers and Leonard’s shared goal is to get into the playoffs healthy and be at his best in April, and then let the two-time Finals MVP show his worth.
Can Leonard&George achieve the height and effect expected at the beginning?
Although this is the fourth season of Leonard and George working together, the two have only played in 104 regular-season games together, going 72-32. Leonard and George haven’t played together since June 2021, so it will take a while to get in.
George organized two small training camps in San Diego and Santa Barara during the offseason, and helped his young teammates pay for everything. Leonard didn’t play the entire season last season, and George was off for three months due to injury, but the two would move with the team as long as they were allowed to, and would participate in film analysis and team discussions.
When Leonard fell in 2021, George also single-core led the Clippers to the Western Conference finals for the first time in team history. George also averaged 24.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists last season, but missed the playoffs because of the virus.
George had to take on more offensive and defensive responsibilities at the beginning of the season to make Leonard feel better, but once Leonard returns to his best form, they will have the opportunity to show the dual-forward core that they were looking forward to integrating offense and defense. expectations. “We have a commitment to each other, the goal is to win the championship, we came out strong together, and now that we are all healthy, it’s time to get back to full body.”
That’s why George thinks the offseason is important, both technically and physically, saying he’s more focused on training than ever before. George expects the pair to take the Clippers to new heights with no worries when Leonard returns.
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Is John Wall the last piece of the puzzle for the Clippers?
Despite Reggie Jackson’s role as an offensive engine last season and his stellar performances in clutch moments, the Clippers still need a true point guard to supply losses and help Leonard and George create easy scoring opportunities.
Wall is also the Clippers’ most talented guard in franchise history following Chris Paul, with career averages of 19.1 points and 9.1 assists. However, Wall has suffered from injury in recent years, and has only played 40 games in the past three seasons following surgery on his ankle and Achilles tendon.
While the Clippers have repeatedly said that Wall is in great shape in the offseason, the 32-year-old Wall still has to prove his skills in the regular season, including his past speed and passing vision. In the first warm-up game, Wall scored 5 points and 3 assists. It is true that his skills are not far from the past, and his sharp cuts put a lot of pressure on the opponent’s defense.
“I want to get to know my teammates as much as possible in training camp and warm-up games, and match the rhythm and speed of the team,” Wall said. Work with your team to find the best way to play.” The Clippers also expect Wall to play the pass organization, and according to Second Spectrum, the Clippers ranked first in 3-point field goal attempts over the past two seasons. The transmission has the opportunity to continue to improve.
Wall currently competes with Jackson for starting guard, but for now, Lue is planning Jackson to play first, and Wall is in the second unit to speed up the team. He ranked 19th in the league in speed last season. In addition to the offense, the Clippers also hope that Wall can guard multiple positions on defense, at least from 1 to 3.
Lue believes that Wall is the most critical X-factor for the Clippers. “The players on the court may not always obey the coach, but John is a court leader who is very diligent in communication. He will continue to discuss and discuss.” Lue said, “Not only the court, but also the lounge. , he earned everyone’s respect and became the leader of the players, which is John’s strength.”
How will Ty Lue lead the deepest Clippers?
In the second round of the 2021 playoffs, the Clippers finally won 4 games in a row and eliminated the Jazz following falling behind 0-2 on the road and hurting Leonard. In the playoffs of the same year, they staged a comeback show twice in the playoffs behind 0-2. The Clippers became the first time in history, and all players will be successfully attributed to head coach Lue.
Lue is one of the best coaches in the league. It is conceivable that following getting a team with stars and depth in the offseason, he must have thought regarding many tactics and configurations. Lue has 5 strikers who can attack and defend well above 200 cm, Leonard, George, Marcus Morris Sr., Nic Batum, Robert Covington, plus Terance Mann, Norman Powell and Luke Kennard, almost two sets can be switched infinitely lineup.
“We can rotate infinitely,” George said. “It’s a beautiful picture, and it’s a lot of pressure for the opponent to attack. We don’t need to worry regarding being hit and there will be gaps.”
George believes that Lue is definitely the best person to coach this lineup, “He has a lot of ideas and details in his head, which can make the team not only run smoothly, but also play unexpected tactics and routines.
At present, Lue is expected to start with George, Leonard, Morris and Ivica Zubac, and the starting point guard will be Jackson and Wall. But it’s clear that the warm-up games will be Lue’s testing ground, allowing him to test possibilities, including talking regarding Powell’s time at point guard and George’s ability to handle the ball.
Of course, the most important thing is which lineup should be placed at the critical moment to decide the victory, and who can best help George and Leonard play on the court. This will also be the key item that Lue will focus on following the regular season starts.
Can the Clippers team work out a good chemical effect?
The speedboats have all the elements to win the championship in the new season. The two star players, experienced coaches, experience and depth are all in short supply. Therefore, the invisible chemical effect will be one of the influencing factors. In addition to health, the most important thing is The key is whether the overall run-in can produce enough chemical effects.
If the Clippers have to control Leonard and Wall’s playing time in the regular season, whether the Clippers can find their best play and style before the playoffs will be the focus. With both Powell and Covington in their first full seasons with the Clippers, Wall has to understand how his teammates play before trying to make a comeback.
In addition to the running-in on the court, the team also needs to adjust the positive chemical atmosphere off the court. In addition to Wall, who has leadership qualities, the veteran Batum and the more open-minded George are relatively important. And this group of experienced players also understands this. George and Leonard have recruited the whole team to play together many times in the offseason. Lue is also holding team training camps in Las Vegas and Seattle, and there is still time to run in the regular season. For the Clippers, the best time is to figure out the formation in April-May, and then be fully in shape for the playoffs in June.
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