Former NBA champion predicts Kawhi Leonard, Clippers to ‘sweep’ Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets

Channing Frye believes that the Los Angeles Clippers sweep the Denver Nuggets despite not having homecourt advantage.

Former NBA champion predicts Kawhi Leonard, Clippers to ‘sweep’ Nikola Jokic’s Nuggets

Kawhi Leonard is not bothered about return from injury

The Los Angeles Clippers enter the NBA playoffs on a high after sealing a 50-win season despite losing Paul George. Many people expected the team to regress after losing George and Westbrook and with Kawhi Leonard injured. However, James Harden has kept the team afloat with support from Ivica Zubac and Norman Powell. Many of their role players stepped up their contributions and helped them get above .500.

Once Kawhi Leonard returned to action in January and eased himself into top form in about two months, the Clippers started looking like a wholly different team. Though Norman Powell had to take an offensive backseat, Leonard’s efficiency helped the team become one of the most dangerous NBA offenses. Despite losing six of their first seven, the team possessed a 19-9 record following the All-Star break.

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Four of the five Clippers starters have been in imperious form at some point this season. James Harden has staked his claim for yet another All-NBA selection by hard-carrying the team in Leonard’s absence. Their fifth starter Kris Dunn has revitalized his career and proved his mettle as an All-Defensive team caliber guard. The team also has Nicolas Batum and Derrick Jones Jr on the bench to bolster their defense.

Channing Frye believes he has seen enough from the team in the past month or so. According to him, despite the Denver Nuggets having the world’s best player in Nikola Jokic, they will likely be swept by the Clippers. Speaking to former teammates Richard Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins, Frye gave this flaming hot take.

What team has the least amount of what-ifs? Every team has a what-if. Even Boston. What if they go cold for one game, what if something happens to Porzingis, or whatever. The Clippers have one what-if – is Kawhi staying healthy. That’s their only what-if. He’s cooking, they’re well-coached, they got great leadership, they have star power, they established themselves on the block, they are defensive-minded, they have veteran leadership, they are not afraid of the moment, and they are underdogs playing like there’s no pressure.

Channing Frye fancies the Clippers’ odds of sweeping the Denver Nuggets

Can the Clippers realistically sweep the Denver Nuggets?

It is an extremely unrealistic expectation of the Clippers to sweep the Nuggets. What Frye did in his segment was establishing the superiority of the Clippers over any playoff opponents they might face during their run. However, he did not justify why he picked the Clippers to not lose even a single game to Nikola Jokic and co.

The Nuggets may be on the downturn with their coach and general manager fired just before the playoffs. However, their core is still a championship-winning core, with all five members of their usual starting lineup having played crucial roles during their 2023 NBA playoffs run when they only lost four playoff games.

Jokic himself has differentiated himself as the most obvious choice for world’s best player since peak LeBron James in Miami. The Serbian finished the season with an astonishing 30-point triple-double average while shooting 50-40-80 – stats that perhaps only he can ever reproduce in the future. Betting against a player in such form, even in a down locker room, is a hard bargain to drive.

However, we can expect the Clippers to be fancied for the playoff series. The team has all the tools to take down any opponent in the Western Conference. They will be fancying their chances against Denver given their 16-3 run entering the playoffs. However, most experts believe that this series will be close, with quite a few predicting it to go the distance