As the NBA playoffs surge toward crowning a seventh different champion in seven years, the message is unmistakable: the age of superstar-centric rosters is giving way to the era of depth. And Mirjam Swanson of the LA Daily News has a pointed message for the Los Angeles Clippers — adapt or be left behind.
“It’s really not that deep,” Swanson quipped — but in today’s NBA, it very much is. Depth, not just star power, is the key to surviving and thriving in the postseason. “Gone are the days where you could pencil in a playoff series winner based primarily on which team would have the best player on the floor,” Swanson wrote.
Los Angeles Clippers Stars Weren’t Enough In Playoffs
The Clippers had depth on paper — and it carried them through the regular season. But when it mattered most, that depth wasn’t enough to offset their stars’ limitations in the playoffs. Despite a well-rounded roster, the Clippers fell to the Denver Nuggets in seven games, their high-profile core, particularly James Harden, unable to push them over the top.
“It seems like the teams that have longer rotations, longer benches, are the ones who are winning,” said Denver’s Nikola Jokic, after his squad was outlasted by Oklahoma City — a team with nine players averaging double-digit minutes and a bench contributing over 34 points per game.
Swanson highlights that the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement and its harsh financial penalties for “second apron” teams have fundamentally reshaped roster building. “This isn’t the time to be top-heavy; it’s time to rally some troops,” she noted.
For the Clippers — long built around stars like Kawhi Leonard and Harden — the lesson is clear: the postseason now rewards teams with balance, not just brilliance. Building smarter, deeper, and more resilient rosters is no longer optional — it’s the blueprint for survival.