On July 1, 2024, the NBA free agent market officially opened, which is undoubtedly the focus of attention across the league. Among the many teams in the entire league, the Clippers have undoubtedly become the biggest "team of the year".
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A team that was once thought to have been unable to break through at its peak has suddenly regained its vitality after a major overhaul. First, the Clippers extended the contract of their core star Harden and offered a pretty good two-year, $70 million contract. At the same time, they poached the court's thorn Kevin Porter Jr. from the European arena, which undoubtedly found a younger and stronger backup for Harden. The most shocking thing is that the Clippers finally broke up with George completely, and veterans such as Bogdanovic and Wei Shao also left the team one after another.
Could it be that the Clippers have officially abandoned the dream of a "golden era" and begun to shift to a completely new development path? Can this giant, which once dominated the top of the West, re-attack the championship with a new tactical system under the leadership of Carden's double core?
1. George's departure: the beginning of a new era for the Clippers
Looking back at the turning point of the Clippers in recent years, it is not difficult to find that since George joined in the summer of 2019, the team has been in a state of "golden era". Under the leadership of George, Harden, and Xiaoka, the Clippers have reached the Western Conference finals many times, but they have never been able to cross the final hurdle. It wasn't until last season, when George's slump in the playoffs again led to the team's failure to qualify for the Finals, that the team, which was once thought to be on track to build a super-Big Three, finally took a qualitative turn.
There are many reasons for Joe Paul's break with the Clippers. Some analysts believe that the players and the management are divided on the future development path of the team, and the two sides cannot reach a consensus in the end. It is also reported that George is not satisfied with the Clippers' offer for a three-year contract and wants to seek a more lucrative new contract. And according to sources, George may already have offers from other teams.
Whatever the real reason, George's departure undoubtedly means that the Clippers have officially entered a new era. This former super giant, now completely bid farewell to the "Big Three" era and turned to the "dual-core" model with Harden and Xiaoka as the core.
2. Kevin Porter Jr.: The Clippers' transformation choice
After George's departure, there have also been some minor adjustments to the tactical layout of the Clippers management. First of all, they did not hesitate to renew Harden's contract, and Raptors superstar Jr., who was previously thought to be leaving the team, also quickly renewed his contract. Overall, such an operation will undoubtedly inject stability and continuity into the Clippers next season.
At the same time, the Clippers also brought in Kevin Porter Jr., who has played a lot of wonderful performances on the European stage. The 24-year-old averaged 19.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game during his time in the NBA last season, along with 1.4 steals. Especially in the few outburst nights of his career, he could even use a 50+11 bombardment to easily suppress the strongest outside defender in the league at that time - Holiday - Holiday.
It can be said that the strength of Kevin Porter Jr. is still obvious to all. But he's also saddled with the label of a "court thorn," and some worry that he'll become an uncertain force when he joins the Clippers. But according to people familiar with the matter, Porter already has a deep understanding and awareness after breaking with the Cavaliers and the Rockets. He is eager to prove himself in a quality championship team and recreate those magical moments of his youth.
From the perspective of Clippers management, Porter's arrival would undoubtedly be a good way to share the pressure with Harden. After all, last season, one of the biggest problems of the Clippers was that the scoring point was too single, and the whole team only had two really reliable offensive options, Harden and Xiaoka. The addition of Porter will bring more offensive vitality and options to this team, and also make the offensive system of the entire team more diversified.
Of course, how to effectively digest and utilize Porter's individual talents on the court has also become a key issue for Clippers management to think about. After all, in the past few years, he has indeed left a lot of regrets in the contradictions and frictions with different teams. But if the Clippers' coaching staff can really bring out the best in him, I believe the young player will be able to complete a transformation in his new environment and become a truly reliable backup point guard.
3. Klay Thompson: The heart of the Clippers' "Plan B."
George's departure marks the Clippers officially entering a new era, but when people thought that the team would start a long "rebuilding period", the actions of the Clippers management once again surprised fans.
According to the latest news, the Clippers are actively engaging with Klay Thompson, who has officially broken with the Warriors, and hopes to bring in the league's top three-point shooter. As soon as this news was exposed, it immediately sparked heated discussions throughout the alliance. After all, Klay Thompson is undoubtedly one of the league's most capable scorers at "killing 1,000 and losing 800," and his addition will greatly enhance the Clippers' outside threat capabilities.
It is worth mentioning that it is reported that at the same time as the contact with the Clippers, Klay did not make any exorbitant salary demands. Instead, he said that as long as he could get a full middle-class contract, it would be enough to satisfy him. This undoubtedly gives the Clippers a great opportunity, as they clearly have the ability to free up enough salary space to bring in Klay by relying on their own re-signing of Harden and the small card. 3. Klay Thompson: The heart of the Clippers' "Plan B."
For the Clippers, bringing in Klay is undoubtedly a huge opportunity. On the one hand, he can greatly complement the offensive power of Harden and Xiaoka on the court, and may even become the first choice for the trio to score. On the other hand, his excellent three-point ability will also be a great help to the Clippers' tactical system.
Last season, the Clippers ranked sixth in the league in three-point shooting percentage, but ranked only 21st and 16th in total shots and field goals. This shows that although the Clippers pursue the efficiency of three-point shooting, the overall three-point production capacity needs to be improved. And Clay's addition can undoubtedly solve this problem very well. According to historical data, Klay averaged 11.1 three-point attempts per game in his career, shooting 40.2% from the field, which is undoubtedly the league's top-level statistic.
At the same time, Klay's addition could well fill the Clippers' vacancy at the No. 3 spot after George's departure. While Klay's ball-handling and decision-making abilities may be slightly inferior to George's, his scoring ability on the offensive end is no slouch. Under the leadership of Harden and Jr., Klay can focus on playing to his breakthrough and long-range shooting advantages and give full play to his value.
Of course, for this new roster to work well together and get the most out of it, the Clippers' coaching staff will need to make some tactical adjustments. They need to find an offensive system that maximizes the talents of Harden, Ka Jr. and Klay, while also building a tighter system on the defensive end.
Judging from the information that has been exposed so far, it seems that the Clippers are fully prepared for this "Plan B". In addition to actively approaching Klay, they also signed Derrick Jones, who is 3 years and 30 million, ahead of schedule, which undoubtedly injected new vitality into the team's interior defense.
Fourth, the new tactical system under the dual-core system
At the beginning of the summer transfer market, the Clippers were expected to enter a long rebuilding period. But it turns out that the former super club has not given up on its ambition to compete for the title. Through a series of precise reinforcements and roster adjustments, they are gradually building a new team with Harden and Xiaoka as the dual core.
From a tactical point of view, the core of this new version of the Clippers is to make full use of the offensive capabilities of the two superstars, Harden and Jr. With their excellent one-on-one and mid-range shooting, the Clippers will build an offensive system with efficient scoring at its core. At the same time, they will also enhance their three-point attack by bringing in outside shooters such as Klay Thompson and use the versatile qualities of Kevin Porter Jr. to enrich their offensive options.
Defensively, the Clippers also need to build a new system. In the past, they relied on the tough perimeter defense of George and Willis to contain the opposition's offense, but that advantage is now gone. Therefore, they need to find a new defensive core and make up for this shortcoming with an overall defensive system that complements it both inside and out.
Judging by the current trend, the Clippers are working in such a direction. The signing of Derrick Jones has undoubtedly brought new security to the interior defense. And the addition of Kevin Porter Jr. also gave the Clippers a new lease of life on the outside defensive end. When these defensive weapons are combined with the offensive firepower of Harden and Jr. Ka, it is believed that the Clippers will be able to build a new tactical framework of their own.
Of course, in order to truly replicate last season's Western dominance under this framework, the Clippers still need to go through some run-in and exploration process. After all, the core lineup of this team has changed a lot, and how to maximize the chemistry of the three superstars of Harden, Jr. and Klay is still a key problem that needs to be solved.
But on the whole, the Clippers' layout after George's departure is undoubtedly very correct and outstanding. They managed to retain their core stars in a major overhaul and brought in a number of potential new signings, injecting new energy into the team's future development. I believe that as long as this team can find a feeling as soon as possible under the new tactical system, they will definitely be able to rebuild their own glory in the new season.
I wonder what readers expect and think of this new version of the Clippers? Feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments section, and let's look forward to the wonderful performance of the Clippers in the new season!
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