The Los Angeles Clippers play their archrival Los Angeles Lakers on the road to open the 2022–23 NBA season. As Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and offseason acquisition John Wall begin the season in good health, any Clippers forecasts must include an estimate of how many games these trio will play. This season begins with a lot of potential for the franchise. We’ll get into that, the season’s breakout player, and how the team will fare over the course of this year against their opponent on opening night in the bold Clippers 2022–23 season predictions below. Here are three audacious Clippers predictions for the 2022–2023 NBA season without further ado.
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3. Luke Kennard becomes the Clippers’ breakout star
Without a doubt, the Clippers’ stars for the 2022–23 season will be Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and John Wall (more on that below), but Luke Kennard could also become well-known this year.
After three unremarkable years in Detroit, the former Duke star was buried on the bench and only playing slightly more than 19 minutes per game when he arrived in LA. Leonard and George were absent last season, but Kennard received more opportunities and made the most of them.
The five-year NBA veteran enjoyed his best season since his last months in Detroit last season, playing 27.4 minutes per game. He had an 11.9 point, 2.1 assist, and 3.3 rebound average. Most notably, Kennard had the best 3-point shooting percentage in the league, hitting 44.9% on 6.0 attempts per game.
For the first time, Kennard will be a genuine contributor on a team with genuine talent in the NBA’s 2022–23 season. The sharpshooter will have plenty of opportunity for wide-open looks while playing with Leonard, George, and Wall; if he converts them at a rate even close to what he did last season, his stats will increase.
The boldest forecast for the Clippers in 2022–2023 is that Kennard will have a career year for the squad. That can be accomplished with a stat line of 18 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.0 rebounds, which is what Luke Kennard will average this season.
2. Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and John Wall party like it s 2017
Now let’s go back to 2017. The Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, hosted the NBA All-Star Game. John Legend performed at the halftime show. Additionally, it was the last occasion in a single season that Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and John Wall were all selected to an All-Star squad.
In 2022, this once-dynamic combination will play for the Clippers in the 2022–2023 season. George is coming off a season in which he appeared in just 31 games, by far the fewest of these three players.
Wall last appeared on an NBA court on April 23, 2021, and Leonard last played on June 14, 2021.
“Kawhi is the No. 1. I’m the 2. There’s no ego when it comes to that. With that being said, I believe in my talent and what I can do.”
Paul George on the return of a healthy Kawhi Leonard to the Clippers pic.twitter.com/zhOYbaDAXN
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) October 12, 2022
Can these three stay healthy? is the biggest concern surrounding the Clippers this season.
Everyone will strive to achieve it, including Tyronn Lue, the Clippers’ coaching staff, the team’s players, and the young children who sweep the floor. Los Angeles is one of the top teams in the West if it can keep its three players healthy. If not, the Kawhi Leonard/Paul George Era might come to an end in addition to the Clippers’ season.
Here, the bold Clippers 2022–2023 season prediction is that these three remain largely healthy throughout the entire campaign. To begin the 2022–23 NBA season, all three players should be as healthy as they’ve been in years thanks to their extremely cautious approach to injury recovery.
By no means will Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, or John Wall play 82 games, but they will each play roughly 60 and stagger their minutes sufficiently for the Clippers to nab a playoff place and be a formidable foe in the postseason.
1. The Clippers become the best team in LA
Speaking of the playoffs, the boldest final Clippers 2022–23 season prediction is that the team will advance to the play-in round rather than just barely making it there. They’ll beat out their LA rival Lakers for a top-six seed and make a strong push for the NBA Finals.
Nine Western Conference clubs will compete for six guaranteed positions in the playoffs in 2023. The Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Pelicans, and Phoenix Suns are among those groups in addition to the Clippers.
The Clippers will beat the Pelicans, Timberwolves, and most significantly the Lakers to enter the top six if Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, John Wall, and Kennard all remain relatively healthy.
After that, expect the Clippers to compete for the No. 3 place behind the Nuggets and Suns with the Warriors, Grizzlies, and Mavs. And once the Big 3 are healthy and they’re in the playoffs, everything is possible.
The article 3 audacious predictions for the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2022–2023 NBA season first appeared on ClutchPoints.
