Preseason NBA Power Rankings: Philadelphia 76ers look like Eastern Elite

19. LA Clippers

With the 2018-2019 NBA season almost here two things are clear: The Los Angeles Clippers are no longer the best team in the City of Angels, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they are going to be bad.

Actually, I think they have the potential to be pretty good.

With Doc Rivers finally out as the team’s GM, the Clippers made a few surprising moves this summer that appears to have made the team better moving forward, at least on paper.

From trading Rivers’ son Austin to the Washington Wizards to Marcin Gortat, to allowing DeAndre Jordan to walk in free agency, to selecting a pair of high upside guards in the first round of the 2018 NBA draft in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson, the Clippers are a team filled with intriguing options both in the short-term and in the long-term and could eventually become a solid contender in the West.

And who knows, maybe that could happen right this season?

After going 42-40 last season with roughly the same collection of players, it’s clear the Clippers are a better team now than they were this time next year and that makes them a legitimate contender to make the playoffs in 2019.