Bold takeaway: The Clippers’ deeper problems go far beyond Chris Paul, and without a real roster rethink, their season could slip away.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 15: (L-R) Chris Paul #3, Kawhi Leonard #2, and James Harden #1 of the LA Clippers sit on the bench during their preseason game against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center on October 15, 2025 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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When Los Angeles Clippers’ front office shockingly parted ways with veteran point guard Chris Paul overnight on Wednesday, the move conveyed a clear message: the team wasn’t blaming Paul for the 5-16 start to the season.
“Chris is a legendary Clipper who has had a historic career,” team president Lawrence Frank said. “I want to make one thing very clear. No one is blaming Chris for our underperformance. I accept responsibility for the record we have right now. There are a lot of reasons why we’ve struggled.”
That same night, the Clippers blasted the Atlanta Hawks 115-92, though Atlanta was missing Trae Young, Jalen Johnson, and Kristaps Porziņģis. Friday’s game with the Memphis Grizzlies—who had beaten L.A. a week earlier in Los Angeles—represented the club’s chance to string together only its second two-game win streak of the season.
But the sequence didn’t hold. The Clippers flopped to a 107-98 loss to a Grizzlies team missing Ja Morant. Kawhi Leonard and James Harden combined for 42 points on 16-for-36 shooting, while the rest of the team mustered just 56 points on 19-for-44 shooting. Nicolas Batum was the lone Clipper with a positive plus-minus that night.
With back-to-back sets approaching, the Clippers head to Minnesota for the second half of a back-to-back, followed by four days off. Yet the schedule hardly offers relief: four of the next five games tilt against the Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Los Angeles Lakers—teams all sitting in the Western Conference’s top four. The road ahead looks rough.
The team’s financial and strategic constraints also complicate the rebuild. Because L.A. owes an unprotected 2026 first-round pick to the Thunder, there’s little incentive to tank and chase a lottery pick. They’re a mere three games behind Portland for the last play-in spot, so a path to a late-season rally still exists. Still, there are glaring issues that can’t be masked by stubborn optimism.
Age Is a Core Issue
The Clippers entered the season with by far the oldest roster in the NBA. The average player age sits at about 31.1 years, ahead of the Kings (29.8) as the next-oldest team. After the Thunder and Pacers surprised many by sprinting to the Finals race last year, most teams aimed to get younger. L.A., however, doubled down on veteran experience, which has backfired so far.
The club split a $14.1 million mid-level exception between 37-year-old center Brook Lopez and 32-year-old guard Bradley Beal. Lopez has already fallen out of the rotation after 17 ineffective games, and Beal’s season was cut short by a hip injury after just six games. Nicolas Batum, also approaching 37, was re-signed for two years at $11.5 million.
To cap the cap hit, the Clippers signed Chris Paul to a one-year veteran minimum, keeping their payroll near the tax apron. They still have an open roster spot, but filling it with another minimum contract isn’t feasible until January due to the first apron rules.
Only a small portion of the roster remains under 28: Kobe Sanders (on a two-way contract) and Cam Christie (second-round pick in 2024) are the young anchors. Ivica Zubac, John Collins, and Derrick Jones Jr. are in their late 20s, while the rest are 31 or older.
Style and Pace Reflect the Plan
The veteran-heavy strategy is visible in their pace and athletic profile. Leonard (34) and Harden (36) anchor a slower, more methodical offense, contributing to the league’s third-lowest pace. The team also logs some of the fewest miles and the lowest average speed in the league, underscoring a deliberate, grind-it-out approach rather than a transition-based attack.
Defense is the bigger concern
Even with a favorable performance against an injury-riddled Hawks squad, the Clippers rank 25th in defensive rating, allowing 118.5 points per 100 possessions—well behind the league leaders. Their offense is middling, checking in around 21st in offensive rating despite a decent true shooting percentage. Star power from Harden and Leonard carries the scoring load, but supporting contributors have been inconsistent.
Transition defense was supposed to be a pillar, yet the team actually yields a high number of points per possession in transition, ranking near the bottom of the league in that metric. The supposed defensive upgrades around Beal haven’t materialized; Beal’s time on the floor has coincided with a dramatic uptick in points allowed per 100 possessions, and Harden has shown similar defensive shortcomings.
Controversy and personnel dynamics
The defense could improve when Derrick Jones Jr. returns from a sprained MCL, but that return won’t automatically fix systemic issues. The team’s age and the corresponding decline in athleticism may limit how effective they can be on defense even with healthier bodies. Paul’s candid, accountability-driven leadership was described as disruptive by some insiders, with critiques that clashed with the team’s effort to find its identity amid injuries. Whether moving on from that leadership will help or hurt the locker room remains up for debate.
Bottom line
Wednesday’s win over an injured Hawks offered a glimmer, but Friday’s loss to a Morant-less Grizzlies underscored the work still required. The Clippers need to fix their defense, maximize the strengths of Leonard and Harden, and find a way to inject younger energy without sacrificing the veteran know-how. If the front office can recalibrate the roster and coaching dynamics while navigating salary constraints, a late-season rally is possible. If not, the season could slip further toward the backdrop of a broader, age-related rebuild.
Stat sources and credits: NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass, Basketball-Reference; salary data from Spotrac and RealGM; odds from FanDuel Sportsbook.
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