Clippers Lose In First-Round Of NBA Playoffs

For many of the same reasons why they will not be one of the top teams in the Western Conference, the Clippers will wind up having yet another disappointing season and lose in the first-round of the playoffs to either the Phoenix Suns or the Portland Trail Blazers. Los Angeles will face a tough challenge in the 3-seed vs 6-seed or 4-seed vs 5-seed matchup in the Western Conference Playoffs and as a result of them going to struggle defending the paint, they will have a quick playoff exit this season.

The biggest reason why the Clippers will struggle in the playoffs this year and face an early exit is because they do not have a reliable third scorer. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are two superstar players and will be fantastic this season, but on average, they will not score more than 40-50 points in a game combined. As a result, someone else will have to step up big time if the Clippers are to be true playoff contenders and not playoff pretenders. 

Last postseason, the Clippers third leading scorer was Lou Williams off-the-bench with 12.8 points per game. This will be Williams 16th NBA season and with him being on the back-half of his career, Los Angeles cannot rely on him to be their third leading scorer, especially off the bench. 

Marcus Morris Sr. has proven to be a reliable three-point threat, but again, is nothing more than a 10-12 points per game guy. If the Clippers are not going to acquire a legit third scoring option, then they will have to rely on their defense, which is expected to take a step back this year. 

This Clippers team just does not have the firepower to be able to compete with some of the younger, highly-talented playoff threats in the Western Conference and as a result, they will be stunned this year as they get eliminated in the first-round of the NBA playoffs.