Bogdanovic, a point guard known for his defensive ability and court vision, will be counted on not only on the defensive end but offensively as a facilitator. He said he didn’t think it would take long for the new players to adjust to their teammates.

“They did such a good job in helping all of us in this transition,” he said. “I mean the first day they were there ready with all sets, all plays, all defensive stuff, Coach Jeff, Coach Ty, so everybody, all assistant coaches, they were on point and when I moved here, I didn’t feel anything in transition. … They are giving me such confidence to play here, and I really like this team.”

Simmons, a 6-foot-10 former All-Star wing, had a solid debut, recording 12 points, seven rebounds, six assists, three steals and one blocked shot, with zero turnovers in his debut against the Utah Jazz last week. He can play at least four positions.

“I’m excited man, I mean Ben brings a skill set that we don’t have other than myself, his passing ability and his speed pushing the ball in the offense to get guys involved,” Harden said.

Leonard returned to the lineup after a lengthy recovery from knee issues, long after the Clippers had established their identity as a defense-first team. The Clippers are limiting their opponents to 108.3 points per game, the second-best mark in the NBA.

“I thought the first 35 or so games without Kawhi, the guys did a great job with just coming together collectively, especially on the defensive end and some guys had career years so far,” Lue said, singling out guard Norman Powell and center Ivica Zubac.

Still, Leonard gives the Clippers an added dimension on both ends of the court. He is averaging 16.3 points on 46.4% shooting, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.0 steal in 15 games and only recently topped the 30-minute mark in games.

“Overall, for me it’s just a fresh start,” Leonard said, adding that he will leave others to judge how well he is playing. “That’s up to other people that rate me or assess what I’m doing, but I’m still getting in a mix of things and learning JVG’s (Jeff Van Gundy’s) concepts on the team. ... It’s just a learning process for me to keep going and just want to keep getting better.”

So now, Bogdanovic and Simmons, along with Eubanks and a healthy Leonard give the Clippers a legitimate shot at possibly a higher seed and a deep postseason run. The Clippers, who closed their first 54 games by winning three in a row and six of 10, sit in the No. 6 spot in the congested Western Conference.

“I think every team needs to, wants to come out the All-Star break and be playing with (a high intensity),” Harden said. “If we want to get to where we want to go, the time is now. We added some shooting, we added some defense and obviously with a healthy Kawhi we’ve got a chance to compete with anybody. So, I think for us, it’s just finding out how we want to play and attacking it.”