Two Clippers in top half of HoopHype's 100 best players list

All the season previews about the Los Angeles Clippers begin and end with two players.

Indeed, LA's chances of making noise in the stacked Western Conference this upcoming season are entirely dependent on the ability and availability of the team's two remaining All-Stars, Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.

The duo's talent is beyond question, as they are both former MVPs (Harden in the regular season, Leonard twice in the Finals).

However, health and consistency issues continue to plague both players, which is why their inclusion in the top half of HoopsHype's Top 100 players list is intriguing.

Harden lands at no. 47

Now 35 years old, with 15 NBA seasons under his belt, the man known as the Beard is no longer the dominant offensive force he once was when he carried the Houston Rockets to new heights.

While he's shown he can still put up solid numbers (16.6 points and 8.5 assists last season), it appears he's no longer capable of putting an entire team on his back. That is a problem, considering the Clippers lost Paul George and his across-the-board contributions.

"With Paul George now a member of the Philadelphia 76ers, Harden will get a chance to be the more ball-dominant player he was prior to his Clippers stint," Frank Urbina and Raul Barrigon wrote on HoopsHype about the Clippers point guard.

"We got a glimpse of that in the 2024 playoffs when Kawhi Leonard was out with injury. Harden responded in the Clippers' first-round playoff defeat by putting up 21.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 8.0 assists on 44.9/38.3/90.6 percent shooting splits," they added.

Kawhi at no. 26

Kawhi had one of his best seasons in 2023-24. He played in 68 games and averaged 23.7 points on 52 percent shooting, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game.

Unfortunately for Clippers Nation, the Klaw, as usual, wasn't around when the Clippers needed him the most. His injury kept him out of most of LA's first-round series loss to the Dallas Mavericks.

However, the HoopHype pundits believe Kawhi is in line for a spectacular season, especially with PG no longer in town.

"We'll choose to turn a blind eye to Leonard's last four months and expect him to bounce back for another big 2024-25 season. The fact that the next player on this list has departed Los Angeles also leads us to believe Leonard could put up even more impressive numbers next season with more of the ball in his hands," Urbina and Barrigon remarked.

Ultimately, the Clippers will go as far as Kawhi and Harden take them. That means Kawhi has to stay healthy and return to his dominant form, and Harden must turn up the volume of his playmaking abilities and scoring prowess.

While they are an afterthought in most season previews for the 2024-25 campaign, the Clippers could surprise many people in the league, if their dynamic duo of veteran stars shows up.

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