The Los Angeles Clippers are at the eye of the storm right now.
People have rushed to point out the fact that they’ve gone 0-4 since signing Russell Westbrook off waivers, but it seems like their issues might run a little deeper than that.
In fact, Shannon Sharpe recently pointed out the fact that — even though they’re not in danger of missing the playoffs — they’re in big trouble because of their non-existent defense.
Sharpe called Kawhi Leonard and Paul George out, stating that their defensive rating had plummeted long before they added Westbrook, who actually had the best plus-minus among their starters:
“At what point in time is Kahwi gonna start playing defense?” Sharpe asked. “Who was he guarding? They don’t play defense anymore.”
Are the LA Clippers in danger of missing the playoffs after losing their 4th straight?@ShannonSharpe says the Clippers are “in trouble” pic.twitter.com/UkOO21OIrx
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) March 3, 2023
The Clippers are stacked with depth at every single position, and they have some elite individual defenders as well, which is why one cannot explain where this debacle is coming from.
Tyronn Lue is a solid coach, and he’s already proven himself in the playoffs, but this team has a long history of shortcomings.
Paul George has been mostly terrible when the game or the season is on the line, and it seems like no one is willing to hold Kawhi Leonard accountable for his lost defensive intensity or the fact that he’s been a part-time player for years now.
One didn’t have to be Phil Jackson or Gregg Popovich to realize that Russell Westbrook was — again — a poor fit for this team.
But will we continue to sit around and just let him be the fall guy and the scapegoat for a team that was underperforming before he even arrived?
NEXT: Russell Westbrook Faced A Rough Reality On Thursday
