Through three games the Clippers carry a net rating of 3.2, yet a 1-2 record leaves them 11th, 1.5 games behind sixth. Five players are out, and the figures below show how much of the early picture rests on Darius Garland and Brook Lopez.
The rating is positive, but Oklahoma City showed what a real gap looks like.
The Clippers have scored 109.7 points per 100 possessions and allowed 106.5, a net of 3.2. The Thunder sit at 107.4 and 97.0, a net of 10.4, and won Sunday 108-101. The defensive column is where the two teams separate. Three games prove little in either direction, so the 3.2 shows a competent start, not a contender's profile.
Garland and Lopez are carrying the scoring load.
Garland averages 24.0 points and 7.0 assists in 34.8 minutes. Lopez, 38, averages 18.0 points in 23.2 minutes and has hit 54.5 percent of his threes. Sunday showed the cost: Garland had 11 assists but also six turnovers and finished minus-20, while Lopez scored 15. Percentages on this few attempts will move, so the pair's output is real but not yet a trend.
Kobe Sanders is efficient, though in a small role.
Sanders has posted a 73.8% true shooting mark over his last 10 games, and he was plus-11 in 20 minutes in Oklahoma City. He is still averaging only 6.3 points a night. The number shows he is taking good shots. It does not show he can handle more volume.
The cap sheet is tidy, the calendar is not.
Payroll stands at $188.9M, over the cap and under the $200.4M tax line, with Garland at $42.2M and Brandon Ingram at $40.0M. Ingram, Max Strus and Bradley Beal all carry an estimated return of 2026-11-08, and Jordan Miller's is 2027-03-02. The 2029 and 2030 first-round picks are forfeited, so there is little to trade if the standings tighten. Wednesday's home game against the Lakers comes before any of those returns.
What is the Clippers' net rating this season?
It is 3.2 through three games, built on a 109.7 offensive rating and a 106.5 defensive rating. Oklahoma City's is 10.4.
When do the injured Clippers return?
Four players, Ingram among them, carry an estimated return of 2026-11-08, and Jordan Miller's estimate is 2027-03-02.
