After trading away Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors (a move I really like), it seems as though the Los Angeles Clippers are set to begin a long and painful rebuild. According to BetMGM, the Clippers' over/under win total is set at 30.5 games, which puts them right around teams like the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans -- two young groups that no one expects to challenge for a playoff spot anytime soon.
However, I think the Clippers are firmly better than both those teams, and they have a chance to pleasantly surprise a ton of people this upcoming season.
Why the Los Angeles Clippers are better than you think
In a lot of ways, this Clippers team reminds me a lot of the version of them we saw heading into the 2024-25 campaign. Back then, many folks wrote the other Los Angeles team off after they lost Paul George for nothing in free agency and were without Leonard to start the season. Yet, they were able to hold down the fort until Leonard got back and win 50 games.
Now, I don't think they will be that good, but they can still be pretty close to .500. Like that 2024-25 group, they have a strong lead creator to buoy their offense (Darius Garland), and they used the offseason to accumulate some reliable wing/forward pieces (Brandon Ingram, Rui Hachimura, Max Strus, and Gradey Dick).
Ingram in particular is an interesting player. At this point, it is pretty much established that you can't be an elite team with Ingram as a centerpiece, but his tough shot-making and facilitation powers are undeniably useful for scrapping out some regular season wins.
Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr. are also still there -- two bulldog defenders who helped guide the Clippers to the third ranked defense in 2024-25. Overall, this team is just really deep. Along with the names we mentioned, they also have Brook Lopez, Bradley Beal, Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Kobe Sanders and Isaiah Jackson.
Solid depth coupled with two strong creators is usually a resume for regular season success. Yeah, they are leaning a lot on Ingram and Garland staying relatively healthy (which has been an issue for both of them to varying degrees), but outside of that, they have a lot of margin for error with their other guys.
This is without saying anything about Keaton Wagler -- the Clippers' fifth overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. It's hard to bank on any rookie making a meaningful difference toward winning in their inaugural season, but I'm really fond of the unorthodox ways Wagler was able to find success in college and am very bullish on his chances of being a uniquely great player in the NBA.
Even with how fond I am of them, I still don't see the Clippers as anything more than a play-in contender. But that's closer to a high-30s/low-40 win group than the low-30 win team sportsbooks are project them to be.
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