The Los Angeles Clippers are expected to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference this season, especially after the return of Kawhi Leonard, who is now struggling with injuries once again.
Even with that concern, the Clippers remain confident that once things get better for Kawhi, they can be a solid team that can aspire to win the championship next season. They have a solid star in Paul George, who doesn’t hesitate to take care of games and taking his team to the promised land.
However, George alone won’t be enough to beat the rest of the competition in the West. The Clips are a well-rounded team, but without their superstar, it will be impossible for them to win it all.
Mike Conley Was Convinced He Would Go To Clippers Before They Signed John Wall
John Wall has been a part of this team since the offseason, and he’s expected to help the team compete. Wall has had a quiet start to the season, posting 12.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assist per game in eight games this campaign. If Wall didn’t sign with the Clippers after being bought out by the Houston Rockets, there was another veteran point guard that could have joined the Clips.
In fact, Mike Conley was convinced he was going to be traded to Tyronn Lue’s team before they acquired Wall. Talking with Tony Jones of The Athletic, Conley revealed that somebody he trusted told him he would join the Clippers.
“We tried to handle it as well as it could be handled,” Conley told The Athletic in a lengthy interview. “It was tough because there weren’t really many answers to the questions that we had. We didn’t know who was staying or going. We had no clue what to expect. It felt like every day I was being traded somewhere else.”
At one point, Conley thought he would be on the move to the LA Clippers. He received a message from a person he trusted that a move to the Clippers, a team that coveted Conley for multiple seasons, could be real. But the Clippers went with John Wall.
Conley remains one of the veterans the Jazz still have on their roster. Everybody thought this team would tank to have a better chance to get Victor Wembanyama in the 2023 NBA Draft. However, they have been balling this season, sitting atop the Western Conference standings, shocking the entire NBA world with their 9-3 record.
As for the Clippers, they rank 7th right now, with a 6-5 record, trying to stay afloat while Kawhi returns from his injury. It seems like things worked out in Conley’s favor, but the season is still young, and we could see the Clippers taking that number one spot in the West and the Jazz going down as the days go by.
Conley is averaging 12.5 points, 7.5 assists, 2.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals through 11 appearances this campaign.
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