The Los Angeles Clippers finally got to show off their full-strength lineup after Kawhi Leonard spent a year out injured. Kawhi returned to action against the Portland Trail Blazers in a preseason game taking place in Seattle. This game was also the debut of offseason acquisition, John Wall, who was benched the entirety of last season by the Houston Rockets.
The addition of both players to the Clippers we saw fail to make the Playoffs last season was considered to be massive. Some people had the Clippers as championship favorites prior to the beginning of preseason, and those beliefs have been reinforced with the strong showing by Kawhi and Wall in their return against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Clippers won the game 102-97.
Clippers starters are done for the night as Ty Lue goes with reserves to start the second half. Kawhi Leonard finished with 11 points and 4 rebounds, shooting 3-for-8 in 16 minutes. PG had 12 points and 7 rebounds. John Wall had five points and 3 assists in 14 minutes.
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) October 4, 2022
already knew it on paper but now that im able to see it with my own eyes there is just endless star power and depth on this Clippers team. good grief. Terance Mann cant even get in. could do hockey shifts with all these guys if they wanted to. how will they let me down this time.
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) October 4, 2022
KAWHI IS BACK
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 4, 2022
https://twitter.com/heIiocentrist/status/1577130526070087680
Kawhi Leonard’s turnaround jumper is a thing of beauty pic.twitter.com/6SHEyXg9pS
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) October 4, 2022
https://twitter.com/ClampPG/status/1577149199896182784
If you can take Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and all their point guards out of the game, the Clippers seem very beatable.
— John Hollinger (@johnhollinger) October 4, 2022
@JohnWall 👌🏽💯 let em know with first bucket
— oTripleTrey aka Carlito (@oTripleTrey) October 4, 2022
John Wall for 3. 🔥
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) October 4, 2022
https://twitter.com/tissotmx44/status/1577147635974033408
It’s obvious he’s still a bit rusty. And he’s gonna need a bit more time. But so far, I like what I see. Passing, rim pressure, drive and kicking. And defense is good to. But he has to finish a bit better but that’s part of shaking off the rust
— Mr.Djf_Primal (@djf_primal) October 4, 2022
John Wall with a pull up 3’s???
Now this Kawhi’s midrange and Clippers shooters going to be scary hours for LA. 👀👀👀 https://t.co/0oZwTwYtNt
— Mike Zimmelman (@MZimmel) October 4, 2022
https://twitter.com/evanempdx/status/1577144395651985408https://twitter.com/kawhiIoI/status/1577151290622480385
NBA so much better with Kawhi https://t.co/bsDFbZt3KB
— SLATE (@_SlateTheGreat) October 4, 2022
Clippers winning 2023 NBA finals btw
— Somebody (@NotThatGuyKawhi) October 4, 2022
John Wall – Comeback player of the year
— TW (@wozny_todd) October 4, 2022
A lot of the players on the Clippers have chronic injury issues that are bound to affect their lineup through the year. If Kawhi and Wall can enjoy good health for most of the season, this might be the season where the Clippers finally break through the West and make it to the NBA Finals.
The Impact Of Kawhi Leonard And John Wall
Kawhi’s impact on the Clippers is something we have seen over the last few seasons. Leonard probably wouldn’t have torn his ACL if he didn’t carry the Clippers to a win against a surging Dallas Mavericks team in the 2021 Playoffs. His performance in that series and his absence against Phoenix truly showed how much the Clippers need him.
Ever since the Clippers have put Kawhi and PG13 together, they have never had a playmaking point guard. Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley, and Reggie Jackson aren’t playmakers, while Rondo wasn’t a success when he was with the team. That is where John Wall comes in, a veteran guard that can be the floor setter for the Clippers.
If these two players can perform at their highest and the rest repeat their form from even last season, the Clippers are a guarantee to make the playoffs. Hopefully, this team can advance through the rounds there as well.
