The Los Angeles Clippers beating the Houston Rockets in the 1^st round was the highlight of the season. Although it was very close the Clippers still pulled out the win. The Clippers in this series won when the games mattered, and were clutch when it mattered most. Victor Oladipo scored 15.3 ppg in only 24.1 mpg despite having a -4.1 +/-. Clint Capela averaged 12 and 16.9 over the series despite having the tough task of guarding Nikola Jokic where he averaged a historic 33.9, 19, and 6. The superstar power was not enough for this extremely deep LA Clippers team. Five of the players averaged double digit points for this series.

Season Lowlight:

The lowlight for the Clippers is the very next series, where they were swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Clippers were not favorites, but nobody expected them to get swept. Victor Oladipo was out for this series likely having an effect on the team. The series was however closer than the 4-0 looks for the series with Game 1 and Game 4 each being within five points. Even though Kemba Walker is the star of the team, he did not look good in this series, shooting 38% from the field, 31% from the 3- point line, and scoring only 22 ppg. The backup to Kemba, Reggie Jackson, also shot a horrendous 21% from the field with a -12 +/-.

Best Trade:

The Chicago Bulls send Kemba Walker, Ryan Broekhoff, and 2022 2^nd rounder to the LA Clippers in exchange for DAngelo Russell, Ante Zizic, and 25 gm points.

Kemba Walker played great the whole year increasing his production after the trade, scoring 30.5 ppg, passing for 6.4 apg, and shot an outstanding 92% from the free throw line while with the Clippers. Ryan Broekhoff only played 11 games, but the main players in the deal are what made this good for LA. It is essentially trading a younger PG for a more proven player and for more of a win earlier than later situation. The 2^nd round pick is a good get also in the trade, and the swap of Ante Zizic to Ryan Broekhoff saved a little bit of money for the Clippers too.

Worst Trade:

The LA Clippers trade Devin Booker to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Jayson Tatum.

This trade isn’t even bad, but it is the only other trade they made. It makes sense for the Clippers though, as it saves money and as young talent goes out they bring young talent right back in. It is hard to say who won this trade too since they are both very good players, but Booker averaged a whole 12 ppg more than Tatum did. Tatum is more of a presence on the defense end, and that is what makes it hard to judge who had the better end of the deal.

Free Agents:

Reggie Jackson and Ryan Broekhoff are both now unrestricted free agents this offseason. Jackson played a bigger role than Broekhoff, but the Clippers have said the chances of him coming back are slim. The Clippers can put a qualifying offer on Jonathan Motley this free agency if they want to.

Star:

Kemba Walker- G

Kemba Walker is most definitely the star for this team. He scored over 30 ppg and was #4 in ppg in the NLL, while also being #8 in apg in the NLL. He was a great piece to add to the team to take over the lost scoring from Devin Booker. After having a historic season the Clippers organization hope that Walker can come back with the same energy and produce at even a higher level. Walker is a key piece in this roster as of now, and according to management, he has a 95% chance of returning.

Goat:

OG Anunoby- F

OG Anunoby is the goat of the season, as he basically disappeared during the playoffs, and did not put up the numbers we thought he would. With the wing position being crowded, there is some reasoning for this, but he had an increase in his minutes, and only slightly increased his averages and shot terrible from the line. His stats do not fully show his game since he is a very good defender. Anunoby has a contract season this next year, so he needs to make a statement by his play and rise above the rest.

Draft Grades:

Isaiah Stewart II – Pick 21 B+

Nick Richards – Pick 40 B-

Jahmius Ramsey – Pick 49 A

Stewart II should be a great big man despite being undersized. Getting him at pick 21 was great value as he went pick 16 in the NBA Draft. Richards is not a flashy player, but he plays the game right and could possibly extend his range. These two first picks being big men also allow more flexibility for the big men on the team right now to be moved. Ramsey is a great pickup at pick 49, he has shown lots of potential on the scoring end and came out of college as a freshman. He is a smaller guard when playing at the 2 and does not have the playmaking when playing the 1, he just needs to find his place in the league and he could turn out great.

The Future:

The future of the team looks great, but it is only a matter of time until the payments for the young guys on the roster catch up. Jayson Tatum has a contract extension that kicks in next season, John Collins and OG Anunoby will be a restricted free agents too. The contracts given out with these players, along with Jaylen Brown, Kemba Walker, Clint Capela, and Aaron Gordon will put the team in massive cap issues. The team has lots of talent, enough talent to form a dynasty, but money will be the problem for this team. A starting lineup of Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, John Collins, and Clint Capela with OG Anunoby, Victor Oladipo, Aaron Gordon, Mfiondu Kabengele off the bench should be a playoff team at worst and looks like a possible championship team.