- Load management may be inevitable for the Clippers on the new schedule
- PG flames the league for having to travel 3,000 miles more than any other team.
- Clippers are feeling the urgency to win after years of nothing with George and Kawhi
As the pioneers of NBA load management, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard have no shame in sitting out games as they see fit. And despite overwhelming condemnation of the practice from all corners of the NBA, the Clippers may have to double down on that approach if they are serious about avoiding back-to-backs.
Next season, the Clippers are slated to have one of the hardest travel schedules in the league and it doesn’t bode well for their chances to make a meaningful playoff run.
“They’re throwing on a lot to our schedule, I saw we travel 3K miles more than any other team, that’s sick,” said PG on his podcast.
Paul George on @PodcastPShow: "They're throwing on a lot to our schedule, I saw we travel 3K miles more than any other team, that's sick…"
— Law Murray ❓ (@LawMurrayTheNU) August 28, 2023
It’s rather ironic that the Clippers, of all teams, are the ones to end up with the heaviest travel schedule. Besides a long list of injuries to Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, the two stars have spoken up about their team’s scheduling before and it’s not the first time that PG called out the league for it.
“It’s bulls***. The league been f**king us up for a while,” George said in April. “It’s tough for us and I want to say the past couple of years where we’ve just had a tough schedule of playing the most games going into All-Star break. We’ve just had years of tough schedules.”
PG hasn’t played 60 or more games in one season since the 2017-18 campaign with the OKC Thunder, which is considered by many to be PG’s best. Since joining the Clips, George has taken more of a backseat role to Kawhi, and his availability has been questionable since day one.
Are The Clippers Title Contenders Next Season?
With Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and a deep supporting cast of experienced veterans, it’s hard to deny that the Clippers have enough talent to beat any team that stands in front of them.
Last season, after adding Russell Westbrook, they gave the Suns a real run for their money in the first round… before Kawhi and PG went down again with season-ending injuries.
So, while the NBA is certainly doing the Clippers no favors with their schedule, it would be a good idea for the team to put an end to this load management tradition and start building the chemistry that every title team needs to make it through the playoffs.
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