The Clippers had 15 players miss a combined 345 games this season, including a couple kind-of-a-big-deal guys named Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, who missed all or most of the season, respectively.
And then the team also got boxed out of the playoffs for just the second time in 11 seasons.
Bummer, right?
But when the Clippers left Crypto.com Arena on Friday night following their season-ending loss to New Orleans in the Western Conference’s final play-in game, there was a pervading sense of optimism — largely, actually, because the Clippers had so many players miss so many games.
The whole next-man-up effect, you know?
In what Amir Coffey labeled a “stay-ready season,” he, Terance Mann, Luke Kennard and rookie second-round scorer Brandon Boston Jr., as well as the young centers Ivica Zubac and Isaiah Hartenstein, all had more responsibility than they likely would have if the Clippers were closer to full strength.
“It’s very promising,” coach Tyronn Lue said after Friday’s 105-101 loss to the Pelicans in the Western Conference’s final play-in game ended the Clippers’ dreams of crashing the playoff party.
“Our young guys, T-Mann, Amir, Luke, Zu, all those guys have a chance to develop and play meaningful games. They played big for us. The young guys came along, they matured. They had to mature very fast considering the circumstances. … We’re building the right culture, going in the right direction.”
Mann, 25, continued to develop his offensive chops; his scoring average ticked up from 10.5 points per game before the All-Star break to 11.5 in 21 games afterward, when he shot 48.4% from the field (38.3% from 3-point range), and with additional playmaking duties, averaged 3.2 assists. For the season, he averaged nearly 10 more minutes and played in 14 more games.
man get tf out of here how great of a find is this pass from terance mann wow pic.twitter.com/MmGn5Zg9l1
— Jamal Cristopher (@JamCristopher) March 30, 2021
“I think just understanding the offensive side of the game in this league, it wasn’t easy for me at first just because I was so defensively minded,” Mann said recently. “But now just understanding the little ins and outs of the offensive end and what to run, when to run it in certain situations of the game.”
As COVID-19 hit the Clippers hardest in January, Coffey came on strong. “The Folger Soldier” — as the versatile third-year wing often is affectionately referred to on Bally’s broadcasts — scored 15 or more points in 14 games.
And, after his two-way deal was converted into a regular contract, he closed out the regular season by tallying a spectacular spate of career highs against Oklahoma City: His 35 points, seven 3s and 13 rebounds that game put him in the company of only LeBron James and Luka Doncic with such a robust stat line this season.
Amir. Coffey. https://t.co/ML3Y0wUczM pic.twitter.com/4LTliomODO
— Mirjam Swanson (@MirjamSwanson) April 11, 2022
The 24-year-old appeared 69 games this season, 25 more than 2020-21, and averaged 22.7 minutes per game – up from nine per contest the previous season.
“I’ve always been a guy who tries to stay in the moment,” Coffey said. “But just looking back at my past few years, seeing my progression, and the work that I put in, especially a year like this where it’s kind of paying off a little bit, it’s a good feeling.
“But I feel like I just got to keep working, so I just can’t stop.”
Luke Kennard, 25, shot a career-best and league-best 44.9% from 3-point range and got invited to the NBA’s 3-point shooting contest at All-Star weekend, where he finished second. In the end, the lefty shooter played, by far, the most minutes he has in a season: 1,919 over 70 games.
The Clippers’ centers, 25-year-old Ivica Zubac and 23-year-old Isaiah Hartenstein both averaged career highs in minutes, points, blocks and rebounds.
And, with George sidelined for the Clippers’ game against the Boston Celtics on Dec. 8, the confident Boston, who’d just turned 20, went out and won his team a game, pouring in 27 points on 9-for-13 shooting.
Welcome to the NBA: @bboston_ inspires some much-deserved top-10 poetry for his play in Wednesday’s win. https://t.co/9cFs8ITaGV pic.twitter.com/mTkkB6g2WX
— Mirjam Swanson (@MirjamSwanson) December 9, 2021
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“I was happy for them all down the line,” said Marcus Morris Sr., the 32-year-old forward who played his 11th NBA season. “Isaiah, Amir, B. Boston, Zubac is fairly young even though he’s been in the league for a while, T. Mann. Down the line, I’ve seen the growth in all of them.”
Only thing, Morris said, he wished this season could’ve delivered some playoff experiences too.
“Thought we deserved to make it even though we didn’t,” he said. “But hey, man, it is what it is.”
What it is: a silver lining after a tough end to what Nicolas Batum, on Instagram, called “a special, crazy and fun year.”
The Clippers went 42-40 and got into the play-in tournament with the young guys doing much of the lifting, and that has the Clippers believing Coffey and crew’s contributions will be more robust when they all get together for another shot at success next season.