The Los Angeles Clippers have put together one of the grittiest underdog runs the NBA has seen in the first half of the 2025-26 season. What once looked like a lost campaign has quickly turned into a remarkable resurgence.
After starting the campaign 6-21, the Clippers have now won 15 of their last 18 contests to acquire the 10th seed, just three wins shy of attaining the .500 mark. Given how dramatically they have flipped the script, Jeff Teague has even gone so far as to make a bold prediction: they could reach as high as the fourth seed if they continue in the same way.
Since the beginning of the 2025 offseason, the environment around the Clippers organization seemed bleak. On the one hand, where Kawhi Leonard was alleged to have accepted money under the table to join the team, once the season got underway, Bradley Beal was ruled out due to an injury, followed by Chris Paul being waived. Even on the court, this team looked like a bunch of veterans who were randomly placed, playing without any sync.
Naturally, for many, the Clippers looked irrelevant before the season reached its midway point. However, instead of folding under pressure, the team stayed composed and slowly began to turn the tide when nobody was willing to pay attention to them.
Speaking on his show, Teague explained why he believes the Clippers' rise is no fluke. With teams above them in the standings dealing with injuries to key personnel - Devin Booker missing for the Phoenix, Anthony Edwards sidelined in Minnesota and Jimmy Butler out in Golden State - the door to climb higher up in the standing has opened quietly. Thus, a top-six ceiling isn't far off for Harden & Co.
"They might mess around, man, and really get up to the fourth seed… fourth-fifth seed. They only five games behind that ain't really nothing bro, " Teague said on his show. "D-Book out, Minnesota on a skid right out, Jimmy being out (Warriors are not at their best). That's how you stay the course thought for the Clippers because s–t, I would have blew that s–t up a minute ago."
While it's true that the Clippers finally seem like a team that does not rely on "superstars" to win games, courtesy of the youth stepping up and how comfortable they look even without Kawhi.
However, there are still some glaring concerns. Not only are they the third slowest playing team, but even defensively, they rank in the bottom tier - two factors that can severely hurt their chances of beating the top teams in the conference.
Still, the positives continue to outweigh all the other doubts. With each passing week, coach Ty Lue's Clippers look more cohesive, more confident and better constructed as a unit. If they maintain this level of play and address their defensive shortcomings even marginally, this team has the potential to make serious noise down the stretch.
What once felt like a lost season is now shaping up to be one of the league's most compelling underdog stories of all time.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jan 27, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
