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Addition by Subtraction: Clippers Add Wins After Subtracting Chris Paul From the Roster

Prior to this season, the L.A. Clippers signed Chris Paul, who previously played for the team from 2011-2017. Paul is often called the best leader in the NBA, but there is a difference between being a great leader and being a productive individual player. In his prime, Paul was a very productive individual player--averaging 19.1 ppg, 10.2 apg, 4.3 rpg, and 2.3 spg from 2008-2017--but this season he averaged just 2.9 ppg on .321 field goal shooting in 16 games before the Clippers sent him home. The Clippers went 4-12 in those games, and they were 5-16 overall this season with Paul on the roster. 

The Clippers have gone 18-9 since parting ways with Paul. Some commentators suggested that the Clippers scapegoated Paul for problems that were not his fault, but the team's record demonstrates that neither Paul's on court productivity nor his interactions with coaches and teammates helped the team win. I have never understood the rational basis for calling a player in a team sport a great leader if that player's teams have never won anything. Paul has not appeared in a playoff game since 2023, and he has advanced past the second round of the playoffs twice in 21 NBA seasons. 

The Clippers' slow start was not entirely his fault, and it is possible that the Clippers might have played better down the stretch even if they had not gotten rid of Paul--but the larger points are (1) it is clear that whatever Paul did during his cameo with the Clippers this season did not make the team better, and (2) the Clippers did not miss Paul after cutting ties with him. 

The Clippers' leader is Kawhi Leonard: he sets the tone with his work ethic, and he sets the pace with his high level play. The Clippers are 19-16 with him this season and 4-9 without him. In December 2025, Leonard averaged 29.8 ppg, 7.4 rpg, and 3.9 apg with shooting splits of .490/.360/.963, and then he averaged 27.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, and 3.7 apg with shooting splits of .491/.408/.873 in January 2026. Leonard is playing at an MVP-caliber level, and he has lifted the Clippers from the bottom of the standings to contending for a spot in the Play-In Tournament. Leonard leads by example as opposed to scolding teammates and shouting at referees, but his resume includes winning two NBA Finals MVPs while leading two different teams to NBA titles (San Antonio in 2014, Toronto in 2019). Leadership should be assessed by results, not histrionics. 

However, the sad reality for the Clippers is that even if they claw and scrape their way into the playoffs they are unlikely to advance far because their roster is old, Leonard is injury-prone, and James Harden may be the worst playoff choker of all-time for a player of his caliber.

Labels: Chris Paul, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, L.A. Clippers

posted by David Friedman @ 8:46 PM

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