Midseason Grades for Each NBA Team

The Los Angeles Clippers started the season looking quite worrisome in terms of their performance as it seemed like their free agency additions weren’t working out and like some of their stars—namely Chris Paul—might be taking a step back in terms of effectiveness and performance. However, they’ve done a mighty job in disproving that in recent weeks, despite being without All-Star power forward Blake Griffin due to a quad injury.

The Clips have really hit their stride as of late as their offense has really been clicking and they have truly taken it up a notch on the defensive end of the floor as well. Paul has recaptured his star form while the likes of J.J. Redick have stepped up their performance when needed with Griffin out of the lineup. It was certainly unexpected as Griffin was performing phenomenally prior to the injury, but the Clippers have done enough to establish themselves as one of the four best teams in the East and one of the better teams in the entire NBA.

The second half of the season is going to be curious for the Clippers as Griffin’s injury seems like it could be something that hinders him and the team for most of the year. That being said, they’ve proven that they can still achieve success without him and that type of perseverance in addition to the success that they’ve had undoubtedly makes them deserving of a high grade.

Next: Los Angeles Lakers