Although the LA Clippers have been on a stretch of discovering a new struggle every few games, Tyronn Lue has been as optimistic as he can, offering words of encouragement to the media after every losing effort. However, the Clippers left him speechless after last night’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, suggesting the season is over with three-plus quarters(63 games) left to spare.
How did the Grizzlies, without Ja Morant and multiple players whose system run by Tuomas Iisalo relies on, defeat the Clippers on a night when James Harden and Kawhi Leonard fused for 62 points?
Well, Ivica Zubac could share some insight in a multi-part answer, with John Collins and the bench chipping in too. They should be primarily held responsible for the Clippers’ 16-point lead coughed up, with home-court advantage.
The LA Clippers need a fresh start that is far, far away
Before the game, Zach Edey, the Memphis Grizzlies’ 2024 lottery pick, commended Ivica Zubac and compared their skill sets. This was not a reach, as Edey just needs advanced footwork and scoring development to be a Zubac clone for the Grizzlies.
On the contrary, Edey made the NBA’s 2025 total-rebound leader look silly on the glass, as he outrebounded Zubac by seven, 19-12. The Purdue legend won in other categories as well, like blocks and turnovers in fewer minutes.
Additionally, Zubac had one of his worst single-game field goal percentages last night in recent memory, with 4-11 splits. He is typically at double the makes on the same number of attempts, but with opportunities knocking and no response given, the Croatian Star should forget and never remember this loss, especially with all the illegal screens called out.
John Collins shooting 4-12 and the bench going 5-15 also explains to the tee where Memphis found all its stop-and-score possessions. This same bench lost the three-point battle to Kentavious Caldwell-Pope alone, as he ended with four makes from a distance; one more than Kobe Brown, Kobe Sanders, Nicolas Batum, and Chris Paul combined.
Thus, seeding-wise, the Clippers have a chance at the play-in tournament. Yet, on the inside and in the locker room, there is no momentum, positive spirit, enthusiasm for the game, or proper leadership.
That said, the Clippers are a lost cause. The next highly anticipated event should be the 2026 offseason, as Tyronn Lue sounds like a broken record repeating the necessary fixes LA will seemingly never get around to.
