Amidst the best turnaround in regular-season history, Nic Batum and the LA Clippers lost 21 of their first 28 games of the 2025-26 campaign. After Kawhi Leonard’s game-winning shot in a 114-113 victory against the Indiana Pacers, the Clippers are 32-15 in their last 47 outings. Leonard considered giving up the game-winning shot to Darius Garland.
Batum remembers when the Clippers were 6-21, before the energy shifted to the playoff-contending squad LA is now, he said, per The Old Man and The Three podcast.
“I’ve been in this league for 18 years, this is the weirdest season I’ve been part of,” Batum said. “It’s been a long season. Some up and downs. But yeah, it’s been fun actually.”
When the Clippers were eliminated from the NBA Cup in Las Vegas, Batum says the team took advantage of the extended practice time.
“We were playing no more than two games in five days. We had time to practice. Something we don’t really have during the season,” Batum added. “So, we had two or three sessions of two hours, and it was like a complete reset. It was like a new training camp.”
“I’ve been in this league for 18 years, this is the weirdest season I’ve been part of”
Nic Batum reflects on the Clippers 2025-26 NBA Season so far 🗣️
(via @OldManAndThree)
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 28, 2026
It gave Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue and his coaching staff ample time to correct the flaws that led to one of the worst records in the NBA.
Nic Batum on Tyronn Lue’s confidence in Clippers
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Clippers veteran Nic Batum revealed how head coach Tyronn Lue was never discouraged over his team’s slow start.
“One thing I liked about this coach is he never panicked. Never,” Batum said. “We’re in a very, very, very bad spot. But he’s always very calm, very poised. We’re going to be OK. We’re going to find a way, and sometimes it’s just one game. You need one game, and we had one game.”
Batum says a win against the Lakers changed the Clippers’ trajectory.
Amidst the best turnaround in regular-season history, Nic Batum and the LA Clippers lost 21 of their first 28 games of the 2025-26 campaign. After Kawhi Leonard’s game-winning shot in a 114-113 victory against the Indiana Pacers, the Clippers are 32-15 in their last 47 outings. Leonard considered giving up the game-winning shot to Darius Garland.