The Los Angeles Clippers are set for the next couple of years with two superstars.
They now have locked up Paul George and Kawhi Leonard to new contract extensions.
This means that the Clippers are putting their faith in these two leading the franchise to a potential championship.
The first two seasons of this new era of the Clippers has been met with some disappointments.
Year one was the big collapse in the second-round against the Denver Nuggets, as they were up 3-1 in the series.
Then this past season was supposed to be them making the next step.
In fact, they did, but in a surprising way.
They took down the number one seed, Utah Jazz, in the second round.
This occurred, despite Leonard partially tearing his ACL.
Leonard was not going to play for the rest of the playoffs.
The Clippers made it to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history.
However, they ended up losing to the Phoenix Suns in six games.
Now with both of these guys staying with the Clippers, people have a question.
Are they good enough as a duo to win?
They are definitely a good enough tandem.
Here is why.
They Shine In The Playoffs
Leonard is known for his playoff heroics.
We saw in 2014 during the NBA Finals.
Leonard outplayed LeBron James to take home his first title and first Finals MVP.
Fast forward several years later, and we saw him be legendary with the Toronto Raptors.
He led a franchise with no hope for years to the NBA championship.
His resume is solidified.
George is a different story.
The knock on his career is that he shrivels up in the postseason.
However, he proved this past postseason that he is capable of being elite in big moments.
Playoff P appreciation tweet.
26.9 PPG
9.6 RPG
5.4 APG
40.8 MPGHe led his team to beat the best record in the NBA and took the 2nd best team to 6 games without Kawhi. pic.twitter.com/5xufIQdUzE
— StatMuse (@statmuse) July 1, 2021
George was brilliant during the playoffs, especially during the time Leonard was out.
He led this team to their first ever Conference Finals and almost took down the Suns.
Both of these superstars shine bright in the playoffs, which is not an easy thing to have as a franchise around the league.
Their Numbers Together Speak Volumes
The most important thing for a duo of this caliber is their ability to play with one another at a high level.
As of right now, they absolutely can do just that.
Leonard averaged 24.4 points per game on 50/40/90 shooting splits during the 43 games they played together this season.
George averages 21.6 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game in 80 career games next to Leonard.
In fact, this season was spectacular for the pair.
In two-man combinations for the Clippers this season, George and Leonard together played the second highest amount of minutes.
For points scored as a team minus opponents points, they finished with a +17.8, when on the floor.
They are elite while on the court at the same time.
The top three five-man units for the Clippers had George and Leonard in the lineup.
Not a lot of teams can have two superstars like this.
Both of whom were MVP candidates before.
This duo can easily work in the long-term and be successful.
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