"Any 50-50 ball... Going the other direction": Brian Windhorst cites Clippers' imminent departure from shared arena as reason behind rough schedule
The LA Clippers continue to get the short end of the stick as the third tenants of Crypto.com Arena, formerly the Staples Center.
The Clippers are tied with nine other teams for most back-to-backs this upcoming season, with 15 such instances. Notably, they had the same number of back-to-backs last year, tied for the second-most.
The Clippers will also travel the most among all NBA teams, scaling a distance of 50,670 miles, roughly 3,500 miles more than the second-placed Brooklyn Nets (47,066).
It's no secret that their scheduling is among the roughest of all teams every year, as they share their home arena with crosstown rivals, the LA Lakers, the NHL's LA Kings and the WNBA's LA Sparks during the regular season.
The Lakers and Kings' schedules make it tough for the Clippers to get the preferred timings for their home games. ESPN's Brian Windhorst reckons the schedule for the Clippers is slightly worse this year due to their imminent departure.
The Clippers are set to move to a new home arena in Inglewood after completing 25 years at Crypto.com Arena next year.
Here's what Windhorst said about the relevance the implications of their departure have on their schedule (via "The Hoop Collective Podcast"):
"I hope I'm not going to get in trouble for this, I can see my phone ringing — I think it's been slightly worse the last two years in terms of the way the Clippers’ usage of Crypto has been allocated because they're on their way out. Any 50-50 ball is going to the other direction."
What Windhorst meant by his 50-50 ball comment was that the LA Lakers will benefit from the LA Clippers' scheduling. Along with traveling the most distance and playing the most back-to-backs, the Clippers also play three games in four days a total of 25 times, the most in the NBA next season.
LA Clippers don't fancy a cramped schedule
No team in the NBA would want a cramped schedule, having to play tough games back-to-back or in shorter spans. The LA Clippers are no exception. However, the Clippers will perhaps be bothered by it more than any other team.
That's because of their superstars' injury-prone histories. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George's tenures with the Clippers have been dominated by their lengthy absences.
Since the duo joined forces in LA in 2019, Leonard has played combined 161 games across four seasons, missing the entire 2021-22 season because of a partially torn ACL. He also played just two games in last season's first-round playoff exit.
Meanwhile, Paul George has played 189 games since joining the Clippers. He missed the team's last nine games and the entire playoff first-round loss to the Suns with an injury last year.
The Clippers have the depth and the firepower to succeed, but their stars' injury history has deprived them of hitting their ceiling.
The scheduling only makes it worse for the team, as Leonard and George are unlikely to get adequate rest during the regular season.