The Los Angeles Clippers are set to go through yet another change. In 2019, the team decided to form one of the most hyped-up star pairings in Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. The two star wings were supposed to lead the team to that elusive championship. While they came close at times, the duo never quite managed to get to the Finals.
Now, the duo has officially been broken up. George decided to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency, letting go of his player option in the process. The Clippers' PG-Klaw era is over now. That begs the question: how does this era of the Clippers stack up with the rest of the team's history?
Well, the answer might be a little too depressing for Clippers fans. While discussing the Paul George signing on the Gil's Arena podcast, Gilbert Arenas and Brandon Jennings discussed how the Klaw-PG era stacked up against the Lob City Clips. The answer? Well, both are probably the best eras of the Clippers… and none of them ended in a Finals appearance. Rough.
Arenas: “They (Lob City Clippers) lost 3 – 1 too. It’s the Clippers, the stench of Sterling. It’s not like they really got a great history. S—t they might throw them a parade for 127 – 54?”
Jennings: “The Blake and CP era was more entertaining I guess I can say. Yeah they lost, but they didn’t have to deal with too many injuries with their best players, that’s why I’m putting their era before this one. They had some deep battles with the Warriors, they just lost, they’re the Clippers.”
Lob City Clippers vs. Kawhi-PG: who's better?
Well, the argument between Lob City and modern-day Clippers boils down to a “sustained but lower peak” or “higher but shorter peak”. Lob City was a consistent playoff contender for years, routinely making it to the second round. Unfortunately, whether it's injuries, Josh Smith, or Doc Rivers' coaching, the team just couldn't get out of the second round. That doesn't take away from the consecutive playoff appearances they've had in that era.
On the other hand, the Kawhi-PG Clippers were not as consistent as playoff participants. Injuries often either derailed their playoff run or forced them to miss the playoffs completely. However, the one crowning glory for this era of the Clippers is that this is where they had their first-ever Western Conference Finals appearance. It ended in a loss to the Suns, but it's there.
However, the years after that have been rough for the Clippers. They missed the playoffs completely the following year. That was followed by two straight first-round exits. Despite having the talent, the Clippers just could not overcome the many injuries that both PG and Kawhi have suffered over the last few years. Their peaks were amazing, for sure: there were times they looked like the best team in the league. However, they just could not sustain that momentum.
The Clippers are now set to rebuild around Kawhi Leonard, although the merits doing that is a bit questionable with Kawhi's degenerative knee issues. Still, that's the only path forward for this team. How can they succeed without their star forward?
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