In a 30-part series leading up to the start of the 2021-22 National Basketball Association season, we will take a look at each NBA franchise from a fantasy perspective. The 13th team we will review is the Los Angeles Clippers.
When you think of the Los Angeles Clippers, there is one player who stands out over all of the rest. That is Kawhi Leonard. Now the Clippers will have to find a way to win without their dynamic duo of Leonard and Paul George, because Leonard will miss most of the 2021-22 NBA season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in game four of the Clippers’ Western Conference semifinal series against the Utah Jazz.
So who will step up for the Clippers now? At the guard position, they will be relying on Eric Bledsoe and Reggie Jackson. Bledsoe had 1443 fantasy points* for the New Orleans Pelicans last season before being traded to the Clippers on August 16. In 2020-21, he had a field goal percentage of .421, a free throw percentage of .687, 869 points, 121 three-pointers, 268 assists, 244 rebounds, 55 steals and 114 turnovers. Jackson had a field goal percentage of .450, a free throw percentage of .817, 122 three-pointers, 715 points, 192 rebounds, 205 assists, 41 steals and 74 turnovers. Bledsoe and Jackson are worth taking in the mid to late rounds, but one must ask how big of a drop will they have with Leonard out.
The top Clippers player to count on in fantasy this season is forward Paul George, who is ranked 10th among small forwards. The seven-time all-star, who shined earlier in his career with the Indiana Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder, is now in his third season with the Clippers. In 2020-21, George had 1952 fantasy points. He had a field goal percentage of .467, free throw percentage of .868, 171 three-pointers, 1259 points, 359 rebounds, 280 assists, 62 steals and 179 turnovers.
Will the Clippers be able to make enough noise in the West without Kawhi? It is going to be tough, but the Clippers just cannot afford any more injuries to their core unit.
*Please note: To calculate NBA fantasy points for point guards, shooting guards and small forwards, I use the formula (3PTM+Points+Rebounds+Assists+Steals-Turnovers). For power forwards and centers, I use the formula (Points+Rebounds+Assists+Steals+Blocks-Turnovers).
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