True, they managed to build a solid team with PG, Westbrook, and other key role players. I think the real issue lies with the Clippers management. Even before Kawhi was signed/traded to the Raptors, he was already injury-prone. But coach Nick Nurse did an excellent job managing his minutes, using load management effectively. It paid off, as Kawhi was incredibly consistent during the playoffs. And if you think about it, the Raptors' roster back then wasn’t as stacked compared to the Clippers’ roster when Leonard was traded.
But now that PG 13 is out on Clippers then they really need the service of Kawhi since the gap to fill by PG's departure is so big and they need to fill up those contributions he bring to his team. So don't know what will be the adjustment done by Clippers in this situation since if they only trust Harden to lead their team then I think nothing will happen on them. So Kawhi need to be healthy and play more games since they might fall short this season if they still keep doing that load management thing in their team. Kawhi is important piece for their team but his prone to injuries is really a huge problem for Clippers.
Let see how Clippers will handle this situation or they still do the load management thing and see if they can able to reach far in this season.
I think Leonard performs better without too many superstars around him. As for Harden, his production has definitely dropped, but if Leonard gets injured again, Harden will have no choice but to step up. However, in that case, the Clippers might struggle to even make the playoffs.
A healthy Leonard is a real threat, and who knows, maybe next season the Clippers could finally win their first franchise championship. The downside is that Leonard isn't getting any younger, and the injuries he’s facing now are definitely a worrying sign for the future.