Can Kawhi Leonard return to dominate the League? The top 5 spectators for the Clippers for the 2022-23 season

Text / Simone

The 2022-23 season will be the fourth year in the Kawhi Leonard and Paul George Clippers era, and most people can’t wait to see how far this team of star-studded offensive and defensive forces can achieve. In addition to this pair of great forwards, the Clippers lineup also has great lineup and depth thanks to off-season reinforcements.Each position has players with different backgrounds and different playing styles, in addition to tactical master Tyronn Lue, many pre-bets Seasonal Speedboats are listed among championship favorites.

The weaker one guard also added the 5 degree All-Star John Wall. Although he has only played 113 games in the past 5 years due to injuries, at least Wall has returned from retirement for the warm-up match.

In addition, Leonard and George have also returned from injury. Of course, the most important point of the new season of the Clippers is health. “I am looking forward to this season. Since I arrived in Los Angeles, I have not seen the health of the whole team. This season is very good for us. From the beginning I also want to know what kind of status I can reach when I can give my best “.

Below we list the 5 key points to watch the Clippers in the new season.

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Will Kawhi Leonard be able to return to his heyday?

It’s been a long time since Leonard tore the ACL to his right knee in Game 4 of the second round of the playoffs on June 14, 2021. In the 2021 playoffs, Leonard averaged 30.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4 , 4 assists, 2.1 steals and 57.3 percent shooting.

After spending 14 months in rehab and training, Leonard is most visible to the naked eye in recently posted training photos. “He looks leaner and leaner.” George said, “The whole person looks more muscular and bigger. Like a tank, defending against him would be a nightmare.”

The Clippers will be very careful about Leonard’s health and cargo handling. The Clippers have a very complete first half of the schedule, 61 games before the star break and 11 games of the second in a row before February (15 for the whole season), so Leonard is very good There could be a respite in the back-to-back games. back.

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Coming back from an LCA injury It is not easy to fully return to the top, especially Leonard’s style of play requires explosive strength and physical collision, but Leonard has experience in dealing with this situation.In the 2018-19 season, Leonard was also in Head In the case of just 9 games in a season, he returned from injury, played 60 games in the regular season and ultimately led Tyrannosaurus to win the championship at full strength in the playoffs.

“I didn’t play 5 on 5 in the off-season and I didn’t have any confrontation work, but everything is as natural as it once was on the pitch,” Leonard said after warming up, playing 16 minutes in his first game, scoring 11 points and 4 rebounds. “The same goes for me in the 2018-19 season. For the first time I was with my teammates.”

Clippers and Leonard’s shared goal is to get into the playoffs healthy and give their best in April, then let the two-time Finals MVP show his worth.

Will Leonard & George be able to reach the height and effect expected at the start?

Although this is the fourth season that Leonard and George have worked together, the two have only played 104 regular season games together, going 72-32. Leonard and George haven’t played together since June 2021, so it’s going to take a while to get in.

George organized two small retreats in San Diego and Santa Barara during the off season and helped his young teammates pay for everything. Leonard did not play the full season last season and George was absent for three months due to injury, but the two would move with the team as long as he was allowed and participate in the analysis of the film and the team discussions.

When Leonard fell in 2021, single-core George also led the Clippers to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in the team’s history. George also averaged 24.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists last season, but missed the playoffs due to the virus.

George had to take on more offensive and defensive responsibilities early in the season to make Leonard feel better, but once Leonard returns to his best form, they will have the opportunity to show the core of the double striker they have been looking forward to integrating. attack and defense expectations. We have a mutual commitment, the goal is to win the championship, we came out strong together and now that we are all healthy, it’s time to get back in shape ”.

That’s why George thinks the offseason is important, both technically and physically, saying he’s more focused on training than ever. George expects the pair to take the Clippers to new heights without worry when Leonard returns.

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Is John Wall the last piece of the puzzle for the Clippers?

Despite Reggie Jackson’s role as an offensive mover last season and his stellar performance in moments of friction, the Clippers still need a true point guard to deliver defeats and help Leonard and George create easy scoring opportunities.

Wall is also the most talented Clippers guard in franchise history after Chris Paul, with a career average of 19.1 points and 9.1 assists. However, Wall has suffered an injury in recent years and has only played 40 games in the past three seasons following ankle and Achilles tendon surgery.

While the Clippers have repeatedly stated that Wall is in top form in the off-season, the 32-year-old Wall has yet to prove his regular season skills, including his passing speed and passing vision. In the first warm-up match Wall scored 5 points and 3 assists, it is true that his skills are not far from the past and his sharp cuts put a lot of pressure on the opposing defense.

“I want to get to know my teammates as much as possible during the retreat and warm-up matches, and match the pace and speed of the team,” Wall said. Work with your team to find the best way to play. ”The Clippers also expect Wall to play the pass organization and, according to Second Spectrum, the Clippers have finished first in the 3-point field goal attempts in the last two. seasons.The broadcast has the opportunity to keep improving.

Wall currently competes with Jackson as the starting guard, but for now Lue plans to play Jackson first and Wall is in second unit to speed up the team. He ranked 19th in the championship for speed last season. In addition to the attack, the Clippers also hope that Wall can garrison more positions in defense, at least 1 to 3.

Lue believes Wall is the most critical X factor for the Clippers. “The players on the pitch may not always obey the manager, but John is a field leader who is very diligent in communication. He will continue to argue and argue.” Lue said: “Not only the court, but also the living room. He has earned everyone’s respect and become the leader of the players, which is John’s strength.”

How will Ty Lue lead the Clippers deeper?

In the second round of the 2021 playoffs, the Clippers finally won 4 straight games and eliminated the Jazz after falling 0-2 away and injuring Leonard. In the playoffs of the same year, they staged a comeback show twice in the playoffs behind 0 to 2. The Clippers became the first time in history and all players will be successfully credited to manager Lue.

Lue is one of the best coaches in the league, it is conceivable that after having obtained a team with stars and depth in the offseason, he has thought of many tactics and configurations. Lue has 5 attackers who can attack and defend well beyond 200cm, Leonard, George, Marcus Morris Sr., Nic Batum, Robert Covington, plus Terance Mann, Norman Powell and Luke Kennard, almost two sets can be changed indefinitely.

“We can rotate indefinitely,” said George. “It’s a great photo, and it’s a great pressure for the opponent’s attack. We don’t have to worry about getting hit and there will be gaps.”

George believes that Lue is definitely the best person to coach this lineup, “He has a lot of ideas and details in his head, which can make the team not only run smoothly, but also play unexpected tactics and routines.

At the moment, Lue is expected to start with George, Leonard, Morris and Ivica Zubac, and the starting point guard will be Jackson and Wall. But it’s clear that the warm-up matches will be Lue’s testing ground, allowing him to test the possibilities, including talking about Powell’s time at point guard and George’s ability to handle the ball.

Obviously, the most important thing is which formation to place at the critical moment to decide the win and who can best help George and Leonard play on the pitch.This will also be the key element that Lue will focus on after the regular starts the season. .

Can the Clippers team work out a good chemical effect?

Speedboats have all the elements to win the championship in the new season, the two champions, the experienced coaches, experience and depth are in short supply, so the invisible chemical effect will be one of the influencing factors. In addition to health, the most important thing is The key is whether the overall break-in can produce sufficient chemical effects.

If the Clippers have to check Leonard and Wall’s playing time in the regular season, if the Clippers can find their best play and style before the playoffs it will be the goal. With Powell and Covington in their first full seasons with the Clippers, Wall needs to understand how his teammates play before trying to make a comeback.

In addition to the break-in on the pitch, the team also needs to fix the positive chemistry off the pitch. In addition to Wall, who has leadership skills, veteran Batum and the more open-minded George are relatively important. And this group of experienced players understands that too. George and Leonard have recruited the entire team to play together many times in the off-season. Lue is also running training camps in Las Vegas and Seattle, and there is still time to run in the regular For the Clippers, the best time is to figure out the lineup in April-May, and then be fully fit for the June playoffs. .