The Los Angeles Clippers were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last season against the Denver Nuggets.
The Los Angeles Clippers finished the regular season strong and Kawhi Leonard was healthy entering the postseason.
What seemed like it was going to be a long postseason run for the Clippers, turned out to be another first-round playoff exit.
The Clippers went into the offseason with not a lot of flexibility to make moves, but they were still able to make some nice additions along the edges.
Photo by Luke Hales/Getty ImagesTim Legler says John Collins is a ‘really talented player’ for the Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers, Utah Jazz and Miami Heat agreed to a trade over the offseason that sent Norman Powell to Miami, John Collins to Los Angeles, and Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson and a 2027 Clippers second-round pick to Utah.
The Clippers gave up Powell who was fresh off a career-year, but they added exactly what they needed in John Collins.
Collins is an athletic and versatile power forward who will serve as a lob threat alongside James Harden.
He will also allow Kawhi to shift back to the small forward position, which will take a lot of the physical load off of him.
Tim Legler talked about the Clippers adding Collins and he praised the move.
“John Collins is a really talented player. He was in Utah the last couple of years, and they’re not a team you’re going to watch, so you aren’t paying attention, and they weren’t even playing them every night because they were not trying to win games. So, you just forgot all about him.
“But if you go back to when he first made a splash in Atlanta, this is a legit four, sizewise, with that kind of bounce, who has now added the ability to step out and shoot the three. He’s a mid-range jump shooter in one-on-one action. He can pick, roll, lob, or he can pick and pop. He’s just a really good offensive player.
Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images
“It gives the Clippers a totally different level of offensive player to go with their second unit. He might start. Ty Lue said they don’t yet know what their starting lineup is going to be. He may be a starter, or he may not. Either way, he’s going to play 25 minutes if he’s off the bench.
“They just quietly went out there and acquired a dude who, I think, for his career, is like 16 or 17 points a game without even playing a lot of minutes. He scores easily, and he looks like it’s a breath of fresh air. Any of these guys who go from a team that’s not trying to win at all to a team now that thinks they can contend, you just see they are so grateful to be in these spots.
“It was fun. Everything about the game was fun, and John Collins is another guy who I look at and go, ‘Man, what a nice pickup.”
The Los Angeles Clippers have the oldest roster in NBA history
Collins wasn’t the only move the Clippers made over the summer. The Clippers added a slew of veterans in Bradley Beal, Brook Lopez and Chris Paul.
The Clippers now have the oldest roster in NBA history and the second oldest starting lineup in the league, just behind the Golden State Warriors.
However, having a lot of veterans on the roster could be a good thing for a team that is desperately trying to get over the hump and win a title.
The Clippers do have nice depth from top to bottom, but as is the case every season, they just need to stay healthy.