3 reasons why LA Clippers won't make it to the 2022 NBA Playoffs without Kawhi Leonard

#2 Reliance on Youth

Phoenix Suns v LA Clippers - Game Three

The LA Clippers are not what I would call a young roster, but they did have some promising young talent shining in moments last season. Terance Mann is the primary name who stands out.

Mann averaged 18.9 minutes per night in 2020-21 and tallied 7.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in those minutes while converting 50.9 percent from the field, 41.8 percent from three, and 83.0 percent from the free throw line. Of course, there was also his Game Seven heroics against the Utah Jazz after Kawhi's injury where Mann converted seven of his ten attempted threes leading to 39 total points.

The Florida State product has been primed to take a distinguished leap this season, but relying on young players is always risky. Inconsistency and youth go hand-in-hand, and Mann is no different. Aside from the aforementioned 39 point breakout game, the 24-year-old didn't surpass 13 points last postseason.

Speaking of inconsistency, Luke Kennard has nearly been the definition. The 25-year-old guard is heading into his fifth NBA season and his future is still unclear. He will need to show up for the LA Clippers to replace some of Kawhi's offensive production, but there is no guarantee of that happening after a shaky production level in 2020-21.

Recent draftees Jason Preston and BJ Boston are promising, but any team supplying either of those two with a consistent role in year one is probably not garnering real postseason consideration.

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#1 The Rest of the West

Memphis Grizzlies v New Orleans Pelicans

There are 13 teams I suspect to be chasing the playoffs in the Western Conference, the LA Clippers included. With Kawhi Leonard watching from the sidelines for the majority of the season, the Clippers could simply come to realize they are in a lower tier of the West than expected.

While nothing is guaranteed in the NBA, the Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Golden State Warriors are about as close you can get to playoff locks next season. That's five spots off the table already.

The next tier would include the Dallas Mavericks, Portland Trail Blazers and probably the LA Clippers. The issue is that any of the Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs, Sacramento Kings, or Minnesota Timberwolves could take a substantial leap into that grouping as well.

Securing a spot in the top six has increased in value due to the recent addition of the play-in tournament, and the LA Clippers could find themselves on the outside looking in.

If the regular season comes to a close and the LA Clippers are sitting between the seventh and tenth seeds, it becomes anyone's game. Every team in the NBA is subject to an off-night and sometimes they arise at the worst moments possible.

With the competitive level of the Western Conference, all it would take is one or two of these previous middling teams to take a jump for the LA Clippers to potentially be stuck in the sketchy play-in tournament.