Kawhi Leonard Says Clippers Need to 'Play With Better Talent' After Loss to Lakers

Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard gave his take Tuesday night on what the Clippers need to do in order to turn around their floundering season.

Speaking to reporters after a 135-118 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in group play of the NBA Cup tournament, Leonard said, "Just gotta get the right lineups on the court, I guess. Get some more talent. Play with better talent and see what happens."

When asked to elaborate on whether he meant the Clippers need to acquire talent from outside the organization, Leonard clarified that he believes the players currently on the roster simply need to show improvement.

"I'm saying like playing better," Leonard said. "Like we all just gotta play better. Make shots, move the ball a little bit more, trust one another and just be better."

Tuesday's defeat dropped the Clippers to 5-13 on the season, giving them the third-worst record in the Western Conference.

Clippers-Lakers Full Highlights

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The Clips have made three consecutive playoff appearances, six in the past seven seasons and 12 in the past 14 campaigns. They also haven't finished with a losing record since the 2010-11 season.

After winning 51 games in 2023-24 and 50 games last season, the expectation was that the Clippers would be strong playoff contenders again this season, but that hasn't been the case so far.

Injuries have undoubtedly played a role, as Leonard has missed 10 games, and Bradley Beal is out for the season due to hip fracture.

Leonard missing time is nothing new for the Clippers, as he managed to play in more than 57 games only once in his first six seasons in L.A.

The Clippers have always managed to make do without him, but this season they are just 2-8 in games he has missed.

Los Angeles has some other talent, including leading scorer James Harden and the likes of Ivica Zubac and John Collins, but it hasn't meshed together.

The Clippers already had a veteran-laden team, and they added several more seasoned vets to the roster during the offseason, including Beal, Brook Lopez, Chris Paul and Nicolas Batum.

However, Harden, Leonard and Zubac are the only players on the team averaging 12 points per game or better, and it is fair to wonder if having the oldest roster in NBA history is backfiring.

With 23.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.4 steals per game, Leonard still plays at a high level when healthy, so there may be at least some hope for improvement if Kawhi, Harden and Zubac can stay on the court together.

The Clippers are clearly lacking in terms of quality depth behind them, though, and a trade may be needed in order to spark the team.