NBA analyst Charles Barkley believes the Los Angeles Clippers deserve more recognition this season, so much so that he ranks them second behind the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder.
“I’m going to say something crazy,” Barkley said on NBA on TNT. “The Clippers might be the second-best team in the West.”
Barkley then praised Kawhi Leonard for his “amazing” ability to play high-level basketball despite being in and out of the lineup due to load management.
Besides Leonard, the Los Angeles Clippers have benefitted from the solid performances of James Harden, Ivica Zubac, and Norman Powell, among others, making them a dangerous team in the Western Conference.
Los Angeles Clippers News: James Harden reflects on the team’s 2024-25 regular season
The Los Angeles Clippers are fifth in the Western Conference at 48-32 and can leapfrog the fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets in the standings if they take care of business in their last two games. Regardless of what happens in the next few days, James Harden is proud of how far his team has come this year.
“Coming into this season, it was no expectations for this team for real. You look at the standings, they predicted us to be 13th seed or 12th seed in the West. Being around these guys from day one, it started in Arizona when I put the minicamp together. And then going into training camp and seeing we got something special. We got some dogs in this locker room,” Harden said via SI’s Joey Linn.
“Here we are with an opportunity to be top 4-5 seed in the West and have a pretty good run in this postseason. They’ve impacted me in a positive way. They’ve made me lock in on both ends of the ball. And really just have that competitive mindset to want to go out and do whatever it takes to win. And that’s the beauty of a team,” he concluded.
