The Los Angeles Clippers have failed to make the playoffs despite an inspiring finish to the regular season. So, Clippers fans have to live vicariously through their former players this postseason. Fortunately for them, a few of their former favorites are surprisingly off to excellent starts.

James Harden is doing what he does best, helping lead the Cavaliers to a 2-0 start against the Raptors. Here, let’s focus on some of the least expected playoff performances from recent Clippers.

Luke Kennard

Kennard’s performance for the Lakers is certainly bittersweet for Clippers fans. While it’s good to see the former Clippers sharpshooter find success, it hurts that it has come wearing a Lakers jersey.

The 29-year-old guard has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the playoffs so far. Without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, the Lakers are up 2-0 against the Houston Rockets, and Kennard has been the second-best player on the team after LeBron James.

Through two games, Kennard is averaging 25 points on 65.4% shooting from the field in 40 minutes per game. He has made 8 of his 11 three-point attempts while carrying a big offensive load.

Kennard has long been one of the best shooters in the league. His 44.2% accuracy from downtown for his career is among the all-time best. The problem with him was that he was never a high-volume shooter. Plenty of head coaches, including Ty Lue, have tried to get him to shoot more threes to take full advantage of his skill set. Right now, it seems like JJ Redick has found a way to get the most out of him for the Lakers.

Bones Hyland

Throughout his Clippers tenure, Hyland has shown flashes of what he could do offensively, but he was never able to put it all together consistently. He was a deep bench option for the Clippers in 2023 and 2024, playing a rotation role in the backcourt when injuries hit or when LA needed more scoring juice. However, his defense always proved to be too damaging for Ty Lue to trust him for long stretches.

Hyland’s Clippers tenure came to an end at the 2025 trade deadline when he was traded to the Hawks in exchange for Bogdan Bogdanovic. He was then waived by Atlanta, suggesting that he may not last much longer in the NBA.

Since then, however, he was able to turn things around admirably. He signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves and has been a key backup for them this season. This has continued into the playoffs against all odds. In Minnesota’s Game 2 win in Denver, Hyland had 13 points and two assists in ten minutes, playing a big role in keeping Minnesota’s offense afloat on bench units.

With that performance, he has earned himself more minutes the rest of the series. His revenge tour against the team that drafted him will be worth watching.

Paul George

This is obviously not as surprising as the previous two names on this list. At the same time, Paul George’s NBA career was off track since leaving the Clippers. Not many people thought that he could play at a high level in this year’s playoffs after he spent the last two seasons either sidelined or underwhelming on the court. He has missed more than half of his games due to injuries and suspension, and hasn’t been himself when out there.

PG13 responded to the doubters with a solid start to the playoffs. In a very difficult matchup for him, going up against Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in Boston, George has turned back the clock to some degree. Not only is he holding his own against them defensively, but he is averaging 18 points on 52.4% from the field and 42.9% from downtown through the first two games of the series.

At this stage of his career, George has taken a backseat to Tyrese Maxey and VJ Edgecombe, but he can still impact the game on both ends of the floor. Seeing vintage Paul George against a title contender has been fun to watch.

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