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.
Can Kawhi Leonard get back to his heyday?
It has 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. It has been a long time since Leonard played healthy on the court. Back in the 2021 playoffs, when Leonard played Averaged 30.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.1 steals and shot 57.3 percent from the field.
Further reading:Gears of War Kawhi Leonard Top Playoff Record/Classic Battle
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.
Returning from an ACL injury It is very difficult to fully return to the peak, especially Leonard’s style of play requires explosiveness 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 familiar and natural as it has been in the past,” 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 mini-camps in San Diego and Santa Barara in 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.
Further reading:“Playoff P” Paul George classic playoff battle / peak record
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 some 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 hopes that when Leonard returns, the two can lead the Clippers to new heights without any worries.
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.
