The Los Angeles Clippers are firing on all cylinders, going 11-2 in December, 14-3 in their last 17.
They are the hottest team in the NBA right now save for the narrow loss to the Los Angeles Lakers last night.
NBA legend Charles Barkley is taking notice and branded them the scariest so far.
"Kawhi Leonard is amazing," he said in his show NBA on TNT.
"If he's healthy, he's one of the five best basketball players in the world. Going back to last year...if he didn't get hurt, they would've beat the Suns. If you go back and look, he's playing as well as anybody in basketball right now."
They are doing this under the radar, too, unlike the years when they were in the spotlight after the blockbuster team-up of Leonard and Paul George.
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The Denver Nuggets and the Boston Celtics have the title to lose given how well they have been performing. The Minnesota Timberwolves and the Oklahoma City Thunder are up-and-coming squads but the playoffs might be a different territory for them.
Tyronn Lue is one of the best X and Os coaches in the league right now and that's what makes Clippers a dangerous time.
It is hard to say they are the team to beat but this year could be the closest they can get to the NBA title.
Everybody's bought into their role
Kawhi and PG were brought in as the undisputed superstar duo of the team in 2019. They are both superstars in their own right.
They are yet to accomplish anything in the injury-plagued first four years but they are back now, healthier than ever.
The duo remains as the Clippers' main stars, even if they now have former MVP James Harden who joined them after his way out of the Philadelphia 76ers before the start of the season.
Harden's attitude is much different from the time he was with the 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets.
He is not the number one or number two option in most of the set plays but he thrives anyway as a facilitator. He currently averages 17.4 ppg and 8.3 assists per game.
It is said that the Clippers signing him is a major risk. He was acquired by to the tune of four mid-level players, an unprotected 2028 first-round draft pick. He is set to earn $68.6 million in the next two years from the last contract he signed with Philadelphia.
Westbrook's decision to come off the bench is another factor in their rise. He is averaging 11.1 points per game along with 6.4 rpg, and 4.6 apg in 24 minutes as an off-the-bench spark.
With players buying into their roles, the team climbed to fifth in the Net Ratings, below the Nuggets, OKC, 76ers, and Celtics.
Norman Powell and Terrence Man also deserve a shoutout for helping all the pieces fit in their campaign.
Powell won the title with the Raptors in 2019 and he thought that he could break out into a higher level after that.
While that is yet to happen, he is thriving in his role with the Clippers.
He currently averages 55.4% inside the three-point arc this season, an improvement from his career average of 52.5 percent. As a designated three-point shooter, he is averaging 44.9 percent, well beyond his 39 percent career average.
They can win it all but they only have themselves to beat. Two teams standing in their way are the Nuggets and the Celtics but with Lue on the sidelines and Kawhi and PG staying healthy, the win-now Clippers can probably win it all.
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