Rawel Visual / NBA on TNT (DR)
Summer isn’t over yet as watchers lean in already on the race for the 2023 title. Moreover, according to Kendrick Perkins, a team would easily stand out, and a Frenchman is concerned. Whether his predictions will come true remains to be seen.
The offseason isn’t over yet, but some favorites are already standing out in the 2023 title race. The Warriors will obviously be contenders for their own succession, as they haven’t lost any major players, only role players, and that they have also registered some very promising signatures. If you add to that the expected advancements of Jordan Poole, James Wiseman and Jonathan Kuminga, you get a very disturbing mix.
But they won’t be the only ones in the fight, as the Celtics have seriously strengthened themselves with the arrival of Malcolm Brogdon, one of the most underrated point guards in the NBA, when the Nets too will have their say, especially if Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving ultimately remain alongside Ben Simmons. But for Kendrick Perkins, the main outsider would be elsewhere.
The Clippers already favorites for the title?
Indeed, according to the ESPN consultant, a franchise would have succeeded in the perfect off-season, thus placing itself in the right car to join the Finals next spring. That franchise is the Clippers, and it’s true that they’ve had some great overtime, some great signings, and with the return of the muscular Kawhi LeonardTyronn Lue’s men could surprise people at the start of the school year:
When I look at the Clippers, I think they won this offseason, and by far! When talking about the most important position in the current league, the wing, they are armored. They have Paul George, they have Kawhi Leonard, but they also added Robert Covington and extended Nicolas Batum. Norman Powell is also in the squad. Then they are also supplied to the leads.
Reggie Jackson and John Wall are going to fight for a spot in the starting 5, and honestly you can’t go wrong with either one. They also have one of the best coaches in the league in the person of Tyronn Lue… I can’t think of a more complete team than the Clippers. Everyone is back, the stars are going to be healthy again, I’m giving them an A+ for the offseason.
For Kendrick Perkins the observation is simple: no NBA team is more complete and homogeneous than the Clippers. And it must be recognized that the other Los Angeles franchise is terrifying on both sides of the field… All the players know how to defend, starting with the stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and everyone can sanction offensively, like Robert Covington or Nicolas Battum. If they stay healthy, watch out for them.
On paper, the Clippers do indeed have the weapons to fight for the title. But Tyronn Lue’s men will not only have to fight against formidable opponents, but also against the curse that has plagued the franchise for years.