A new era begins for Clips

Inglewood, CA (News4UsOnline) – No one could have imagined the ups and downs the Clippers would already experience this season, and we are only just past the All-Star break. One would have to assume most of the drama has already unfolded, but it’s hard to say what might lie ahead.

From being one of the “winners” of the offseason to starting with one of the worst records in the West, something seemed off from the beginning. They then turned it around to play the best basketball in the league during a 20-game stretch, just to unexpectedly blow it up and trade 2 of their top 3 players right before the deadline.

From kicking their all-time leader in All-Star appearances off the team to hosting the 2026 All-Star game, all while dealing with a potential Kawhi Leonard “tree” scandal, the twists and turns this year have not quite been storybook in LA.

What has happened in the past does not really matter for Lawrence Frank, Steve Ballmer, and Tyronn Lue. All that matters now is what is in front of them.

James Harden, Ivica Zubac, and Norman Powell have all been traded, replaced by a much younger, athletic core of John Collins, Bennedict Mathurin, and Darius Garland.

What was a fringe championship contender has now become a team with tons of flexibility, one star player away from truly competing. The trio of newly acquired players provides versatility, scoring, and energy to a team now fully led by Kawhi Leonard, who is still an All-NBA player on both ends of the floor.

With a state-of-the-art arena, one of the richest owners in sports, and a solid foundation, LA is an extremely appealing destination for a superstar player looking for a new home. Giannis Antetokounmpo might be a pipe dream, but adding a player like him would make this team better constructed than any of the teams during their 2020-2025 championship window.

Looking at the rest of this season, the Clippers should easily still walk into the Play-In Tournament, but beyond that, they likely do not have the firepower to take down either of the top-2 seeds in a seven-game series.

It has become much more about building chemistry and seeing which pieces fit the best long term than stacking wins. While winning a championship is still the goal, the focus has shifted for the rest of this campaign.

“Just development over time. I think it’s over now. There is a fourth of the season left, but every day is a day to grow; a day to learn and get better. We have to keep looking over time and see in two weeks if we are getting better and see what happens from there,” said Leonard.

While still awaiting Darius Galand’s Clippers debut, the other player acquired at the deadline, Bennedict Mathurin, is already making his presence felt in blue and red.

The former Indiana Pacer is averaging over 17 points per game this season, and he showed the Clippers just what kind of offensive threat he is in the Clippers’ first game after the break.

Making his Clipper Intuit Dome debut, Mathurin subbed in with 6:30 remaining in the first quarter and finished the quarter with 11 points. He went on to lead the team on the night with 38 points in 34 minutes while also grabbing 5 rebounds and 3 steals. The Clippers beat Denver 115-114 for the first time in 4 tries.

“His first game in Houston, I thought he came out really passive, turned down some shots, wasn’t aggressive. I pulled him to the side during a timeout and said, ‘You have to be aggressive, you have to be who you are, and we will figure out the rest.’ We needed every bit of it tonight,” said Lue.

Mathurin can struggle with inconsistency, but when he is right, the ball goes in the hoop. He is the perfect 6-man on a championship-contending team, similarly to when his Pacers squad made it to the NBA Finals last season.

“As soon as I got here, T Lue told me to be myself. I think everybody on the team knows I am a scorer, but I am looking forward to doing more than just scoring the ball,” said Mathurin.

“I want to have an impact on defense and make plays for my teammates. That is the version of myself that I want to become, and if I become that for my team, I think we have a chance to win a lot of games,” Mathurin continued.

In just a few appearances, Mathurin is showing he has the physical ability to be a disruptive defender as well in Ty Lue’s rotation. He routinely pressured Jamal Murray, the Nuggets star guard, throughout the game, sometimes even picking him up full court. Murray finished the night strong, but was held in check for the first three quarters, which allowed LA to pull off the win.

“We are going to put him on the better players and see if he can guard point guards and things like that, picking them up full court. We want to see how he plays defensively and just go from there,” said Lue.

What makes Mathurin’s scoring explosion even more impressive is that he still “does not really know the plays yet”, due to having just joined the team.

Once he is fully integrated and Darius Garland returns, who is a talented scorer in his own right, we will have a good idea of how the current roster fits together. So far, it looks like a win.

Cover Art/Feature Image: Inglewood, CA – Los Angeles Clippers guard Kobe Sanders (4) brings the ball up the court against an Orlando Magic defender during an NBA game played at Intuit Dome on Feb. 22, 2026. The Magic defeated the Clippers, 111-109. Photo credit: Amanda McMaster / News4usonline