Los Angeles Clippers vs. Portland Trail Blazers Preview

The Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers will open the 2023-24 NBA regular season tonight. It’sthe most wonderful time of the year for fans of a young team. The potential to shock the NBA remains unsullied. The Blazers are young, long, athletic and are surely dreaming of being the surprise package of the NBA out of the gate. Could they pull off the upset? Almost certainly not, but as the clock ticks closer to tip-off the hope and dreams of fans and players are still alive. Enjoy the glow of a fresh season while you can.

The Los Angeles Clippers enter the season feeling that their window for challenging for an NBA title might not stay open too much longer. Talent isn’t a problem. Keeping that talent healthy and on the court might be. The biggest names for the Clippers will play tonight, but Terance Mann won’t be, a significant loss for the home team.

The biggest issue swirling around the Clippers won’t have any impact on this game, namely whether James Harden will finally get his wish to be traded to Southern California. It’s certainly not impossible that the next time these two teams meet in December the lineup for the Clippers could look quite a bit different.

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Clippers - Wednesday, October 25 - 7:30 p.m. PT

How to watch on TV:Root Sports, NBA League Pass

Blazers injuries:Ish Wainright (out)

Clippers injuries:Terance Mann (out), Bones Hyland (questionable)

SBN Affiliate:Clips Nation

The Matchup

• Kawhi Leonard.It’s been over two years since Kawhi Leonard tore his ACL. By all accounts that horrible injury is now firmly in his rear view mirror. A healthy Kawhi is a nightmare matchup for most teams, but for a Blazers team loaded with youngsters it’s really hard to even imagine how they’ll find a way to slow him down. If you want to be hyper-optimistic you can look at how the Blazers have improved their length, added some players who have the tools and mindset to be plus defenders, and have youthful energy coming out of their pores. This could work, right? Well, sorry, no it can’t. Ok, stranger things have indeed happened. Just really, really rarely. On opening night on the opponents court you’d get long odds on the Blazers keeping Kawhi in check.
• Age before beauty?Data is a bit inconsistent depending on which fringe players you include, but the Blazers are by some measures the youngest team in the NBA, or at least very close to that. The Clippers on the other hand are the oldest, or thereabouts. How does a young team beat an old team? Run them off the court. How does an old team beat a young team? Let the young team make mistakes. If somehow the Blazers can keep turnovers to a minimum, play without fear, and make those old guys run up and down the court you can squint and see a path for the Blazers to pull off the upset. It’s the turnovers though that seem to be the thing that most unlikely for Portland to overcome. Averaging nearly 20 turnovers per game in the preseason, it’s hard to imagine Portland improving dramatically in that area against the Clippers. If they somehow do though the potential is there for a competitive contest.
• Let’s see glimpses of potential.Of course every fan wants to see their team rack up wins. For the Blazers coaches and front office though it’s all about seeing potential, finding the players who play well together and evaluating which players might not work out for the long term. Losses today will be forgotten if in a few years the Blazers are putting a truly competitive team on court - not just in the regular season but a team that can do damage in the playoffs. For the first time in many years the club’s vision is clear and without compromise. It all starts Wednesday night in Los Angeles. A win might be a longshot, but if glimpses of what these players could become are there, the front office and coaches will consider it a “win” - and so should the fans.

What Others Are Saying

The Clippers might just be the right team for Russell Westbrook according toLachard Binkley of SB Nation.

Westbrook is at his best when running the offense and is initiating plays instead of sitting in a corner waiting on a pass late in the shot clock. George had arguably his best season playing alongside Westbrook in their final season for the Thunder, so much so that he was in the running for MVP most of that season. The chemistry between the two All-Stars is definitely there, and is one reason to be encouraged by this signing.

Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNquotes Kawhi Leonard as being past his ACL injury and starting the season healthy.

“I feel good and I’m ready to go,” Leonard said before Clippers practice Tuesday. “I think last year came off of ACL, so pretty much it’s like a two-year process. Talking to guys [who suffered ACL injuries] and seeing when they do start feeling good or just trusting your knee, it’s just something that you feel and I mean one day just turns around for you. So it wasn’t really nothing too different.”

Danny Chau of The Ringersays the there is more risk innottrading for Harden.

硬en’s future isn’t just a story. It’sthe的故事。和快船的一个关键部分。硬en wants a trade to Los Angeles. The Clippers want to bring him there. But they aren’t offering much for Harden. And Philadelphia GM Daryl Morey has been clear he isn’t interested in what he sees as nickels on the dollar.