5 reasons why the Clippers could win their first-ever NBA title

The Los Angeles Clippers are among 10 NBA teams still without an NBA title to their name. But in recent years, they have been competing with the best in the league, leaving some to believe that the team’s long wait for the Larry O’Brien Trophy could possibly end soon.

Heading into the 2023-24 NBA season, hopes are high once again that this could be the year that the LA Clippers go over the hump and win it all.

Here are five reasons why the Clippers could win their maiden NBA title this season:

5 reasons why the LA Clippers could win their first NBA title

#1. Interchangeable parts and squad depth

The LA Clippers still have interchangeable parts that could pose problems against the best teams in the league. On both ends, they have the personnel to get it done.

It all boils down to harnessing all of these assets into one cohesive force to make the team’s title dreams a reality.

Coach Ty Lue is now entering his fourth season with the Clippers and has a far better understanding of the personnel that he has, which should go a long way in their push to go deep this season and possibly win it all in the end.

#2. A healthy Kawhi Leonard

The team also has one of the best two-way players the league has ever seen in Kawhi Leonard. However, injuries have prevented him from going full blast in each of his first four seasons in Los Angeles, including in the 2021-22 season where he did not play at all due to an ACL injury.

During his stay with the Clippers, he has been good for 25.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.6 steals. More telling, in the playoffs with the team, he has taken his numbers a notch higher to 29.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 2.2 steals in 26 games.

Now, if "The Claw" stays healthy and plays more games in the regular season, and competes at full strength in the playoffs, Leonard repeating what he did in Toronto in leading the the Raptors’ championship run in 2019 is not totally left field.

#3. Paul George playing at full strength

Paul George was supposed to run alongside Leonard in making the Clippers a formidable squad when they came on board at the same time in 2019. But like his partner, he also has had his share of injuries that forced him to miss considerable time on the court, depriving the team of legit go-to guys.

If "PG13" stays at a straight course in his health and gets to connect his all-round game to that of Leonard for an extended period for their tandem to fully bloom, the possibilities for the Clippers are immense, including getting their hands on the championship trophy.

#4. The Clippers land James Harden

While nothing definite yet on this front, the LA Clippers getting the services of former league MVP James Harden is going to be a boon to the team’s championship hopes.

The addition of "The Beard", if it happens, gives the team another explosive player who can be a handful to opposing teams, especially on the offensive end, if guided accordingly.

A starting five of Leonard, George, Harden, Russell Westbrook and Ivica Zubac is downright scary, if not championship-caliber.

#5. Hunger

The Los Angeles Clippers are a hungry team and want nothing less than to end their long wait for an NBA title. Everybody knows that, from top management all the way to the last man on the roster.

The team has been positioning itself to better compete in the last few seasons and this time, provided things come together for it as hoped, it is most certain that it will not hesitate to go for it and win the title.