10 Reasons Why The Clippers Will Not Win The 2023-24 NBA Championship

• James Harden has been acquired by Los Angeles in the biggest trade of the NBA season

• The Clippers have an elite squad right now but there are issues that need to be factored

• The NBA landscape has too much competition to ignore right now

The Los Angeles Clippers made a massive splash Tuesday in the early morning, trading for former MVP and reigning assist leader James Harden. The Clippers have been interested in Harden for a few months now, but finally, they were able to reach a deal with the Philadelphia 76ers. In a package that sent the likes of Marcus Morris and Robert Covington to Philadelphia along with picks, we are finally done with the James Harden saga. 

With an impressive starting lineup featuring Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook already, James Harden’s arrival could create a superteam in the Western Conference. With so many big names on the roster, fans might be wondering if the Clippers immediately become the favorites. Unfortunately for the Clippers, it absolutely doesn’t. Quite frankly, there are 10 major reasons why the Clippers won’t be winning the NBA championship.

Even if the names on paper look incredibly impressive as there are four Hall of Famers in the starting lineup, there are deeper issues going on within the Clippers organization and James Harden won’t help those. In fact, Harden might actually worsen or add some other problems to the team that could arise. The Clippers are in win-now mode right now but they won’t be winning an NBA title and that is due to 10 major reasons.

10. Ty Lue Has A Ton Of Pressure To Make Everyone Click

To start off, head coach Tyronn Lue is heavily respected in the league for his in-game adjustments and deep understanding of the NBA game. Lue coached LeBron James and Kyrie Irving with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2016 Finals when he was a part of the iconic 3-1 comeback. Lue has the credibility to be considered a top-five coach in the league but he will be under pressure to succeed now that James Harden is on the team.

Lue needs to get every player to click and be on the same page, and he will be handling strong personalities. It is never easy for a coach to welcome in a ball-dominant star who has his own ways, but it will be even harden considering who the Clippers are as an organization.

Tired of being considered second-fiddle to the Lakers, the Clippers have been going all-in since the 2019-20 season when they acquired Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and their title window is even shorter now. All of that falls on the head of a head coach who has to find a way to make things work as soon as possible, and that could be a deterrent.

9. Paul George Will Need Time To Settle In

Paul George always knew that he would be the sidekick to Kawhi Leonard when he was traded to the Clippers. That kept him in check by realizing Leonard is the main man on the team and his job will be to defend and take over the offense as needed. George is an All-Star in his own right but knowing his place was great for team chemistry. Now, George needs to find a new role now that Russell Westbrook and James Harden are on the team.

Westbrook did a great job with the Clippers last year, but that meant George was sometimes reserved for a third role in moments. With James Harden on the team, will George be happy to share the ball even more and sometimes be left out of the offense? The Clippers will not win without George playing at an All-Star level and if he does not feel involved as much, it could be a key weakness that opposing teams could exploit.

8. Adding A Player Who Is Known For Drama Does Not Help

The Clippers have been dealing with drama for four seasons now. There were always questions about Kawhi Leonard’s health (more on that later) and Paul George has been heavily criticized for also being hurt or failing to perform in the playoffs when he does play. Not to mention, players have gone in and out of the team when trying to build a culture.

Adding Russell Westbrook helped the team last year, but he is also a player who is known to have some baggage. Adding yet another player who is coming off another situation when he quit his way out is not ideal for a title contender. It was clear that very few teams were interested in Harden considering how often he causes drama, and the Clippers are bracing for the fact that it could happen again. The Clippers want to go all-in to win a ring, but adding a player with very heavy baggage will hold them back.

7. Russell Westbrook’s Production Will Suffer With Harden’s Arrival

Russell Westbrook is not the same player he used to be since he will never average a triple-double for a season again and is past his prime in terms of impact and athleticism. However, he knows the game of basketball and how to be a point guard who gets players open shots when he isn’t shooting the ball. Last year, Russ averaged 15.8 points and 7.6 assists per game while posting 23.6 points and 7.4 assists per game in the playoffs with the Clippers.

That is very solid production from a player who was essentially given up on by the Lakers organization last season. Unfortunately, there are major concerns about how James Harden will affect Westbrook’s production. They played together in Oklahoma City but Harden came off the bench as a sixth man. With the Houston Rockets, the duo put up All-Star numbers but were dismantled in the second round as they could not find a happy balance. In Los Angeles, the same issues will arise as Harden does not fit well with Westbrook and that could mean we could have an unhappy camper soon enough.

6. The Clippers Have Defensive Weaknesses

Losing Robert Covington, Marcus Morris, and Nicolas Batum will hurt the Clippers’ defense as the season progresses. Los Angeles has had elite defenders for a few years now but they are going for a complete change in philosophy by bringing Harden on board. Along with Westbrook, Harden is far from being a consistent defender and has been ridiculed for his inability to recover on defense or even stick with his man.

Even if Leonard and Geroge are considered elite defenders, they aren’t miracle workers, and making up for a backcourt that is defensively insufficient could be a major issue against top-tier teams. The Clippers have gone from a team having incredible defensive potential to one that is looking to completely outscore teams. While that will spell for some very entertaining basketball, it might not work against the best teams in the league who will exploit lapses on defense and punish the Clippers for their weakness that might come apparent soon enough.

5. James Harden Will Not Show Up In Big Games

James Harden needs to be respected as a Hall of Fame player based on his time in Houston with the Rockets. He won three scoring titles, an MVP award, and took the team to one game from the NBA Finals in 2018 alongside Chris Paul. During his stint in Houston, there weren’t many players in NBA history who were more dominant offensively when it came to scoring and playmaking. Even last season, Harden led the league in assists (10.7) and spearheaded a dominant pick-and-roll duo with Joel Embiid.

However, Harden is who he is when it comes to being a playoff performer and a distraction. The Beard first blew an opportunity to impact a series with the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2012 Finals, averaging only 12.4 points per game on 37.5% shooting. He had poor moments with the Rockets as well, primarily in Game 7 of the 2018 Western Conference Finals when he shot 2-13 from three and was unable to take the series home.

Last season, Harden choked with the 76ers in the playoff series against the Boston Celtics, make no mistake. The All-Star posted 13 points on 4-16 from the field in Game 6 and nine points on 3-11 shooting in Game 7, ending his stint in Philadelphia. Unfortunately for Clippers fans, Harden will not magically become a clutch player in major playoff games and if he does not find his footing with the team, there might even be some more drama heading their way.

4. The Nuggets, Suns, Lakers, And Warriors Have Better Continuity In The West

For the Clippers to realistically win a championship, they need to finish with at least the first or second seed in the Western Conference and prove to be the most consistent team among the rest. When looking at the West and its landscape, that simply is not true or realistic. There is no way the Clippers will be able to defeat the Denver Nuggets in a seven-game series because Nikola Jokic will have his way with them and so will Jamal Murray.

The Nuggets are also the reigning NBA champions and have the strongest team chemistry in the league right now, as not a single player comes with a distraction as coach Mike Malone gets everybody on the same page for another title run. The Suns still have the best trio in the conference and once Devin Booker and Bradley Beal are healthy, the Clippers won’t be able to stop them. 

The Lakers and Warriors have been there and done that and know how to win in major games. LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green are all NBA champions, and that gives them the advantage over Paul George, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook.

The Clippers are not the best team in the West and that is a major reason why they won’t win a title. The Nuggets are the favorites right now and any team that wants to come out of the West has to go through them, making the Clippers’ chances look rather slim when looking at the rest of the competition as well.

3. Milwaukee And Boston Will Punish Los Angeles On The Court

Even if the Los Angeles Clippers somehow make it out of the Western Conference, will they be able to handle the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals? The resounding answer has to be no. Giannis Antetokounmpo will prove to be too dominant for the Clippers to handle as only Ivica Zubac has the physical stature on the team to handle him. Damian Lillard will also terrorize Los Angeles’ defense and that particular duo is better than any combination of talent the Clippers have.

The same goes for the Boston Celtics who look extremely strong with the additions of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. With a core of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Al Horford, and Derrick White retained, the Celtics’ top-six players are better cohesively than what the Clippers can field. Getting through the West is a massive challenge on its own but if the Clippers somehow manage to do it, competing against the Bucks or Celtics would ultimately spell the demise of the team.

2. There Might Be An Issue In The Pecking Order As The Title Window Becomes Short

The time for the Clippers to win a championship is right now. Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook have player options after this season and James Harden is a free agent after this year. That means if the team does not perform this season and win a title, there could be major changes coming.

With the title window extremely short, the fact that there could be an issue in the team’s pecking order throws this entire season into doubt. Kawhi Leonard is the number one option but that will immediately change if he starts dealing with injuries again. Paul George will need to accept that he won’t be the same player with Harden and Westbrook by his side because he won’t get the same touches he used to get.

Westbrook might suffer the most since he is the fourth-best player in terms of talent in the starting lineup but has the mentality of a number-one option. He won’t be able to accept being a spot-up shooter because that’s not his game anyway and Harden only succeeds with the basketball in his hands. We already saw how Harden alongside another ball handler didn’t work in Houston and Brooklyn so there are major concerns about the pecking order of the team.

1. Kawhi Leonard’s Health Is Strongly In Question

Whether the Clippers have James Harden or not, the team’s championship probability depends completely on whether Kawhi Leonard is healthy or not. Before James Harden arrived, Leonard held the key to the franchise. After Harden, Leonard still holds the key to the franchise. The Clippers simply cannot win a title without Leonard healthy and competing as a top-10 player in the world.

Kawhi proved he was the man in the 2019 season with the Toronto Raptors and won it all. He has been trying to do the same with the Clippers but has constantly missed time through injuries. The superstar swingman’s track record in terms of appearances between 2020 and 2023 has been poor: 57, 52, 0, 52 games played. He has also played 26 total playoff games in that span.

Unfortunately, Leonard is incredibly injury-prone and the arrival of James Harden won’t have an effect on that. The superstar swingman is good enough to be the best player on a championship team but there are doubts about his ability to stay healthy and that ultimately means the Clippers won’t be winning an NBA championship this season.