Yet again, the Los Angeles Clippers are on the verge of seeing a promising season end with a disappointing thud due to key injuries.
Kawhi Leonard missed Game 4 against the Phoenix Suns with a knee injury, and co-star Paul George has been out with a leg injury for the last several weeks, resulting in a 3-1 series deficit for L.A.
George has been injury-prone since coming to the Clippers in the summer of 2019, and he said on a recent podcast that staying healthy has more to do with “work ethic” than talent.
Paul George says being healthy has ‘nothing to do with talent’ and has more to do with ‘work ethic’
(Via @PodcastPShow ) pic.twitter.com/pQxXlwwvyj
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) April 24, 2023
When George and Leonard arrived on the Clippers that offseason, many fell head over heels in love with the team’s roster and overwhelmingly picked them to win the NBA championship that season.
In fact, some felt the Clippers would also become the greatest defensive team in recent memory.
But none of that has materialized since, and it hasn’t even been close.
In the previous three seasons with George and Leonard, they have reached the Western Conference Finals once, and the franchise still has zero NBA Finals appearances.
George, a native of Palmdale, Calif., has failed to appear in as many as 60 games in a single regular season as a member of the Clippers, as he has come down with a number of injuries.
To make matters worse, he has been very inconsistent throughout his career during the playoffs, leading some to mock his nickname of “Playoff P.”
The optimism surrounding the Clippers has darkened, and now some are calling for the organization to blow it up and start over.
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