30 biggest questions for the 2017-18 NBA season

23. Are the Los Angeles Clippers better without Chris Paul?

Probably not, but they’re more intriguing. You knew what you were getting with the Chris Paul Clippers. Paul was going to efficiently run the offense, the defense was going to be about average, all the players and the head coach would complain about fouls and non-fouls, and someone would get hurt in the playoffs. There was no mystery with the Paul Clippers. They were an above average team who would constantly disappoint for one reason or another.

The Post-Paul Clippers are different.

They have Blake Griffin. D’Andre Jordan is still there, wondering why he let those guys into his house that night. They’ve got Danilo Gallinari and Miloš Teodosić. They acquired half the Houston Rockets for Paul. Most importantly, they still have Austin Rivers.

I don’t know what to expect for this year’s Clippers. Griffin has shown flashes of being “the guy” throughout his career, but now it has to be a sustained light. Teodosić looks great on highlights, but he’s 30-years-old and never played in the NBA. There is no elite scorer on the wing. Someone is bound to get hurt and Doc Rivers will definitely lose his voice.

The Clippers aren’t better without Paul. They won’t win 50 games like they did last year. Part of that will be due to roster turnover. The other part will be due to the West improving. But I’m excited to watch the Clippers this year. And being entertaining is more important than winning basketball games.