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Here we are with another edition of RotoBaller's Fantasy Basketball Breakouts, Busts, and Locks for the 2023-24 season. Today we will be looking at the Los Angeles Clippers, yet another team that is desperate for an NBA championship.
Last season was filled with ups and downs, but things began to look up near the end as Kawhi Leonard put up MVP-caliber numbers. The team was deflated by Paul George's injury before the playoffs, but Kawhi fought hard until he tore his meniscus, which caused the team to get eliminated despite a valiant effort from Russell Westbrook.
In this article, we will highlight the breakout, bust, and lock picks for the 2023-2024 Clippers.
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Los Angeles Clippers Fantasy Breakout: Terance Mann
Now, if he gets traded for James Harden, this entire section will be invalid. But the talks between LA and Philadelphia have progressed very slowly, and something just feels like Harden will play for Philly this season before hitting free agency properly. So assuming that Mann stays a Clipper, there's a real chance for his breakout.
Clipper fans have been waiting patiently to see more from Mann ever since he exploded onto the scene by dropping 39 points against the Jazz in the 2021 playoffs to lead the Clippers to their first-ever conference finals appearance, but it just hasn't happened yet. 2021-22 should have been "Mann SZN" but his playing time was very inconsistent.
But now, some of the Clippers' worst bench players (like Reggie Jackson and John Wall) who were stealing playing time from Mann are gone. All these two years of inconsistent playing time have taught Mann how to be a multi-positional player.
He has played at PG, SG, SF, and PF over the last two seasons, and with less competition than ever before, he can flourish. He even has a chance to become the starter at some point during the season if the Clippers run a Westbrook/Mann/PG/Kawhi/Zubac lineup. This specific lineup didn't play enough to be qualified for stats, but seeing how the combo of Mann/PG/Kawhi/Zubac had an On-Off rating of +6.9 and how they had a 10-3 record with Mann, PG, and Kawhi starting, it's very possible that this lineup will be used this year.
I don't expect Mann to suddenly average 17+ PPG with all the stars on the team, but he could have a Josh Hart-level impact with his rebounding, passing, and shooting efficiency. His stats in the last two seasons are pretty similar to Hart's stats in New Orleans before he became one of basketball's best role players in New York.
Los Angeles Clippers Fantasy Bust: Ivica Zubac
Unlike his days in Charlotte, Mason Plumlee has fit in quite nicely in Los Angeles. This could mean that Zubac's role with the Clippers will be reduced slightly and that you could get some solid players for his ADP. We saw this in the playoffs and toward the end of the season. Before Plumlee's arrival, Zubac was averaging 29.4 minutes per night but that number dropped to 26 minutes per game since Plumlee joined the Clippers.
Obviously, Zubac will remain the starter due to his defensive ability, but the fight for playing time will reduce his raw stats. And it's not like Zubac is a stat sheet stuffer or anything. Apart from blocks and rebounds, you're not getting much else from Zubac.
His ADP is what's really the problem here. For his ADP, you can get guys like Josh Hart, Bruce Brown, Trey Murphy III, Gary Trent Jr., and Brandon Miller, among others. Want a big man? Why not get Mitchell Robinson, who gets more blocks and steals per game than Zubac and gets more playing time as he has established himself over Zubac's ex-backup Isaiah Hartenstein?
How about Kevon Looney? Sure, he doesn't get as many blocks as Zubac, but he gets more steals and has way more assists per game. Steven Adams looks to be healthy and is an all-around threat with his defense and passing. He will be excellent if you punt free throws or have some excellent free-throw shooters around him (the same thing goes for Robinson). All I'm saying is that you can find better and more valuable players than Zubac at this spot, even if you want bigs.
Los Angeles Clippers Fantasy Lock: Kawhi Leonard
Okay, okay, hear me out on this one. When he plays, Kawhi is so good that he can be a league-winner. Last season was a prime example of that, as he dominated during the fantasy playoffs to carry the Clippers in the final parts of the season. His ADP is currently very low, so by drafting some studs ahead of him (preferably players who are durable), they can cover for his absences. When Kawhi comes back, you'll be unstoppable.
The Western Conference is loaded, so the Clippers don't have the fast lane to a top-two seed like the Nuggets. They have to earn it and they have to avoid the play-in tournament so that they won't get bounced like in 2022. Late in the season, Kawhi will play and will play great.
If you're an optimist, you can get hyped by hearing Clippers GM Lawrence Frank say that the Clippers will now "honor the regular season" or the new 65-game requirement to qualify for NBA awards and All-NBA teams. If not, you can expect Kawhi to play in 58 games this year (71.2% of games since being a Clipper, not counting 2021-22) and almost every game during the fantasy playoffs.
Either way, if your squad makes the playoffs, would you rather have someone like Nikola Vucevic or Kawhi? I'm the type of person who thinks about the future way too much, and I also believe that a fully healthy Kawhi might just be the best basketball player in the world, so the choice is pretty easy for me.
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