5 reasons why LA Clippers need to be taken seriously as NBA Championship contenders for the 2021-22 season

#3 Tyronn Lue's coaching

Head coach Tyronn Lue of the LA Clippers talks to his players.

LA Clippers coach Tyronn Lue has NBA championship pedigree both as a coach and a player. He is a championship coach regardless of how much of the credit goes to LeBron James for the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers' title.

That fact is definitely a good thing for the LA Clippers, as the team already showed a different fight and resilience with Lue under tough situations in the NBA Playoffs. The same LAC core that gave away a 3-1 against the Denver Nuggets in the 2020 NBA Playoffs, stormed back from two 2-0 deficits in the first two rounds of the 2021 postseason to win those series.

That's definitely a testament to Lue's coaching, and he can guide the team to a solid 2021-22 NBA season even if Kawhi Leonard misses the entire campaign. Lue has coached in three NBA Finals series and has a 51-29 record in the NBA Playoffs.

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#2 Paul George can lead the LA Clippers in the NBA Playoffs

Paul George.

Although it has become popular to criticize Paul George harshly in recent years, he had shown that he can be a team leader in the NBA Playoffs in his days with the Indiana Pacers. He guided Indiana to two consecutive Eastern Conference Finals and fell twice to the 'Big Three' Miami Heat, which isn't a shame.

Although he was rightfully criticized for some of his struggles in the postseason with the OKC Thunder and LA Clippers, George stepped up after Leonard's injury against the Utah Jazz.

George led the team to the Eastern Conference Finals with great performances against the top-seeded Jazz in the second round. Right after Leonard got injured, George put up a 37-point performance against the Jazz in Game 5, along with 16 rebounds and five assists to give LAC a 3-2 lead.

The team eventually won the series and advanced to its first Conference Finals. Although the LA Clippers fell in six games in the WCF at the hands of the Phoenix Suns, George proved to be a solid leader. He was not perfect though, as he had some difficult moments from the free-throw line in the WCF, but George can definitely lead the LA Clippers in the upcoming campaign.

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#1 Experience and good display without Kawhi Leonard in 2021 NBA Playoffs

Head coach Tyronn Lue of the LA Clippers speaks with his team.

Overall, the LA Clippers were good without Kawhi Leonard in the 2020-21 NBA season and the postseason. Of course, they are not, by no means, a better team without the two-time Finals MVP, but the team can survive without Leonard's prowess.

Leonard played 52 of the 72 games of the regular season, and the team went 11-9 in those matches. Given Kawhi's absence in the NBA Playoffs, others had to step up on both ends of the floor, with Reggie Jackson and even Terance Mann making solid efforts for the team in the postseason.

The LA Clippers had a 4-4 record without Leonard in the postseason and the experience of having played on the big stages without the best player on the roster could help for the upcoming 2021-22 NBA season.

The LA Clippers will not be a better team without Leonard, but the squad could remain amongst the top contenders in the Western Conference Finals, although coming out of it might be a long shot.

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