N.B.A. Western Conference Preview: The Lakers Reloaded

Los Angeles Clippers

2019-20 record: 49-23 (No. 2 seed)

Key additions: Serge Ibaka, Nicolas Batum, Luke Kennard

Key subtractions: Montrezl Harrell, Landry Shamet, JaMychal Green

Outlook: The Clippers would probably love to have a little more distance from their debacle in the bubble, a premature exit in the Western Conference semifinals that raised questions about the team’s chemistry and led to Coach Doc Rivers’s departure. (He landed on his feet with the Philadelphia 76ers.) But the bubble memories have surely lingered for Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, two stars who watched from home as the Lakers claimed the ultimate prize that both teams had been chasing. Now, under the direction of Tyronn Lue, the team’s new coach, the pressure will only mount on the Clippers to deliver.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/21/sports/basketball/nba-western-conference-preview.html