The Los Angeles Clippers have not had much consistency so far this season, but injuries have made it hard to do so. They remain one of the best teams in the league, however, and their 7-4 record is nothing to be upset about.
In the NBA’s most recent Power Rankings, the Clippers took a bit of a fall after a tough week. Although they remain one of the league’s most potent offenses (3rd), their defense (26th) has taken a significant hit thus far and has been their biggest weakness.
With Marcus Morris back after missing the start of the season and Kawhi starting to get back to full health after his jaw injury, the defense is due to improve going forward. In a much improved Western Conference, the Clippers are looking up at two of their divisional rivals after three weeks of play.
NBA.com’s Top 10 Power Rankings
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Phoenix Suns (+2)
- Boston Celtics (+3)
- Milwaukee Bucks (+3)
- Philadelphia 76’ers (-3)
- Los Angeles Clippers (-3)
- Indiana Pacers (+1)
- Dallas Mavericks (+6)
- Denver Nuggets (+3)
- Golden State Warriors (+10)
The good news for LA is that they do hold some impressive wins already this season. They’ve beaten both the Lakers and the Suns, creating an interesting debate as to which Western Conference team has been more impressive to start the season.
Their biggest problem thus far has been winning the games that shouldn’t even be close. While their losses to the Spurs and Jazz can be attributed to having off nights, the loss to the shorthanded Warriors and their near-loss this week to the rebuilding Bulls show that they may be coasting a bit to start the year.
Luckily for the Clippers, there is plenty of basketball yet to be played, and they have the talent to improve as the year goes on.
