UA-59049186-1 NBA Team Preview: Los Angeles Clippers - Good if it Goes
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NBA Team Preview: Los Angeles Clippers

Offseason:

Draft Picks: 25. PF. Brice Johnson, 40. C. Diamond Stone

Key Acquisitions: PF. Brandon Bass, C. Marreese Speights, PG. Raymond Felton

Key Losses:  none

Player Profiles

Projected Lineup:

PG. Chris Paul: 6’0, 175

  • Elite 2-way PG that thrives as a playmaker, scorer, and defender.
  • Offensively he runs the show like no other PG in the league showing the ability to be very efficient and keep the turnovers down despite a high usage rate and playing in a starting 5 devoid of a secondary ball handler. He has elite vision and instincts. As a scorer he’s an elite mid-range shooter than can knock them down from 3 as well when needed.
  • All-NBA defender who’s effort on that end is unbelievable when you factor in how much he does on offense as well.  

SG. J.J. Redick: 6’4, 190

  • Elite marksman that requires constant attention from defenses without ever touching the ball.
  • He’s on the move all-game forcing his matchup to exude constant effort to stay attached as he needs minimal space to catch and launch a 3 or mid-range jumper and when he does it usually goes in.
  • Does the best he can on defense and tries to execute the gameplan but overall a poor defender due to his lack of size, strength and athleticism.

SF. Luc Mbah a Moute: 6’8, 230

  • Veteran 1 dimensional combo forward that can defend multiple positions.
  • Highly limited offensive player. His finishing ability isn’t great and neither is his athleticism which makes him an average slashing option at best. He’s good for making the occasional wide open 3 but he’s no reliable 3 point shooter.
  • Good defensive player that has the size and length to bother most wings and has the ability to slide down to the 4 to defend as well.

PF. Blake Griffin: 6’10, 251

  • Star PF with big time scoring ability and elite athleticism.
  • Elite scoring big man due to all of different ways he can score. His combination of quickness and power make him very dangerous as both a post and faceup player. He’s also become a good mid-range shooter which keeps defenders from being able to sag completely off. He handles the ball well and is a good passer.
  • Above average defender who’s athleticism and strength allow him to be a quality defender without having much impact as a rim protector.

C. DeAndre Jordan: 6’11, 265

  • Physically imposing center with elite athleticism and physical strength.
  • Offensively he might be the best dive man in the league. There’s no bigman more dangerous rolling to the basket after setting a screen. He doesn’t need to be close to the rim to leap and go get the ball and throw it down or he can catch it and boom it down. He doesn’t have much of a post game and his free throw shooting is in an embarrassment.
  • He’s one of the best defensive players in the league period. Shut’s other bigs down that attempt to post him up and score, can really move allowing him to close a lot of ground when rotating and helping. He’s an elite rim protector and dominates the boards on both ends.

Bench:

SG. Jamal Crawford: 6’5, 200

  • Shoot-1st SG with electric ball handling skills but declining athletic ability that loves to isolate.
  • High volume scorer that comes off the bench with the ability to put up points in bunches. Utilizes his ball handling ability to create space to launch longs 2s and 3 pointers.
  • Non factor on the defensive end. Doesn’t have good lateral quickness and his effort on the defensive end are lacking.

PG. Austin Rivers: 6’4, 200

  • Scoring combo guard with average athletic ability.
  • A bit of a tweener who’s lack of size and athletic ability make him a questionable fit at the 2 and his lack of vision make him less than ideal at PG. He has some scoring ability, especially inside the arc where he made nearly 50% of his 2s. He has a really good handle and is crafty at getting to the rim.
  • Inconsistent defender that has nights where he flashes very good on ball skills but he just doesn’t bring it every night.

PF. Brandon Bass: 6’8, 250

  • Short thickly built veteran PF that plays tough on both ends.
  • Very efficient offensive player that knows how to fit in on offense. He was very good finishing inside a year ago and overall he had a true shooting % of 62.
  • Defensively he’s not tall but he is big and he has some athleticism for a guy his size. He can get off the floor and block shots and is no slouch away from the basket.

SF. Wesley Johnson: 6’7, 215

  • Huge 2-way wing with very long arms, has a wing span over 7 feet.
  • He’s a solid offensive role player off the ball thats effective shooting from all areas of the floor. . He’s a decent 3 point shooter, he’s a very good finisher at the rim and he can knock down mid-range shots as well.
  • Good defender that utilizes his long arms to cause problems for opposing players.

C. Marreese Speights: 6’10, 255

  • High volume shooting big man that will let it fly.
  • He’s weird offensively in that he’s much better 15 and out and struggles from the field anywhere inside of 15 feet. It makes for an inefficient brand of basketball where he has to rely on long 2s and 3s to contribute offensively.
  • Not a good defensive player. He’s too short and slow to be effective in the interior or away from the basket.

PG. Raymond Felton: 6’1, 205

  • Declining backup PG that lacks significant athleticism for his position.
  • Offensively he struggles to score because he no longer shoots the 3 even at an average rate and given his lack of speed and quickness defenders can sag off and go under screens without fear. However he still is good at finding teammates and playing with pose.
  • Below average defender that does bring toughness and experience.

PF. Brice Johnson: 6’10, 230

  • Athletic, thin PF that can really run and jump.
  • Offensively he’s definitely flawed as in he can’t score in the post or really shoot but he’s non stop hustle and he uses that to get hustle buckets.
  • Should thrive defensively as a mobile big but he might find it more of a challenge on the interior where he may not be strong enough to handle stronger bigs.

SF. Paul Pierce: 6’7, 235

  • Washed up hall of fame forward who’s hanging around as a leadership figure
  • Ineffective offensive player that that’s just too old and slow to get it done anymore.
  • Declining defensive player that has to rely more on his experience and veteran presence to get by on defense.

Breakdown

The Clippers’ starting 5 returns intact with plenty of fire power and perhaps the most athletic front line in the NBA. Starting center DeAndre Jordan and PF Blake Griffin are absolute freaks who are simply more physically gifted than just about everyone their matched up with on most nights. Jordan can take over games without ever having a single play called for him. He’s an elite defender and anchor of this team’s defense. However, as is the case in previous years Jordan’s free throw shooting can be a major hindrance to the team as teams can simply opt to foul him and force head coach Doc Rivers to choose between having his offensive rhythm disrupted or having his defense weakened. Griffin is a physical freak that has become the Clippers best offensive scorer when healthy. There simply aren’t very many players in the entire league physically equipped to deal with a player with his talent. He’s also started to play better defense over the years. The biggest question mark with the Clippers start 5 is who’s going to be the SF? Mbah a Moute started last year and is back on the roster so he figures to be the likely choice to start their game 1 but coach Rivers has stated the position is up for grabs.  In the backcourt the Clippers are led by the steady hand of Chris Paul at PG and he’s joined by shooting specialist JJ Redick. Chris Paul makes everything go for this team. He’s an elite playmaker, good scorer and still defends at high level. Redick helps everyone when he’s on the floor by improving spacing and limiting the amount of help a team is able to utilize with whoever is guarding him.

One of the biggest question marks about the Clippers over the years has been their bench. They just have been unable to find a real backup PG or center and this year is no different. Austin Rivers figures to serve as the lead backup PG out of necessity. The kid just isn’t a PG and the fact that his father continues to deploy him as 1 is a bit of disservice to him. He sort of has to play PG because the teams 6th man Jamal Crawford occupies the 2 guard spot off the bench and will garner the most minutes of anyone on the 2nd unit. Wesley Johnson will be the backup SF and will have a chance to win the starting job as well. One of the best off-season additions for the Clippers was PF Brandon Bass who’s a very good 2nd unit big. The issue is the backup center spot. We know there will be crucial moment when Jordan can’t be in the game and this team has still failed in providing a quality back up option. They brought in Speights to be the backup center but he’s not a good defender and can’t protect the rim. Some might say they can turn to Raymond Felton to be the backup PG but I’d say that would make matters even worse. He’s just not a very productive player on a consistent basis anymore.

Expectations

The Clippers by and large are the exact same team they were last year and years before that. They don’t have a quality starting SF, backup PG or backup C. DeAndre Jordan still can’t shoot FTs either. There’s no denying the Clippers are a talented group. Baring any major injuries they’re guaranteed to make the playoffs but another 2nd round exit is the best I believe this team can do. The definition of insanity is trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different result and this Clippers organization either is insane or really enjoys purgatory.

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