Clippers Showing Signs But Not There Just Yet

By Johaan Forbes-Anthony
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Updated: February 4, 2015

(Via ‏@LAClippers)

The Atlanta Hawks have been running hot in the East, so much so they couldn’t contain their winning streak in their Twitter name. The Los Angeles Clippers are quietly going about their business in the ever competitive Western Conference with a 33-16 record, currently good for fifth seed in the West.

Expectations have never been so high for the Clippers and they came under scrutiny early in the season, suffering from chemistry issues compounded with lack of bench productivity to have critics voicing their doubts after every loss.

Separate nine and six game win streaks along with impressive road wins against Portland and most recently at San Antonio have given Clipper fans a reason to be optimistic, with glimpses of their best as we approach the All-Star break.

Atlanta have impressed pretty much everyone this season with their ball movement and even though the Clippers are seven games adrift of the streaking Hawks, there are signs of similarity between two of the league’s best offences.

As of January 29, Atlanta rank #1 in assists with 1177 assists and with Chris Paul at the helm, the Clippers come in at #3 with 1131 total assists with both teams generating over 59 points per game off assists.

The Hawks and Clippers again rank first and third in the league for catch and shoot points which should come as little surprise as either team owns one of the best spot up shooters in the league in Kyle Korver and J.J. Redick (who are both in the 3-point shooting contest on All-Star weekend).

Furthermore, both teams are locked together at 57.1% true shooting percentage, good for equal second only behind Golden State with both teams % almost identical once again. The only real disparity between the two offenses comes in the pull up shooting category, where the Clippers rank #1 in the league largely thanks to Jamal Crawford and Paul while the Hawks rank second to last.

So if the Clippers are scoring at such an efficient rate to match the best team in the league, to no ones surprise that it means defense (among others) is the reason why they’re not on a 19-game win streak of their own.

Defensive anchor DeAndre Jordan has returned to the form that saw him finish third in Defensive Player of the Year voting a season ago leading the league in rebounding while coming second in blocked shots however the problems for the Clippers lie deeper within.

(Via @nbacanada)

As all were aware coming into the season, the small forward position had been one of concern for the Clippers and despite Matt Barnes playing above expectations offensively, his defense remains an issue going forward. The Clippers have tried and tested a number of players at the position, all of which have failed while also passing up Australian rookie Joe Ingles (who is now a starter on the Utah Jazz) which makes you wonder whether the Clippers have any moves planned before the trade deadline.

While the players themselves cannot control the personnel on the court, they can control their effort, which at times this season has looked lacklustre at times.

One major area of concern defensively has been rebounding where the Clippers rank 24th for total rebounds and 17th in the league for rebound percentage at just 49.8%. Their failure to box out on the defensive glass also sees them give up 10 offensive rebounds per game. Blake Griffin is averaging a career-low in rebounds with his rebound percentage almost 20% lower than his return from last season, a stat that must improve if the Clippers are to become a top team defensively.

With Griffin’s elite ball handling skills at the power forward position made well aware for all to see this season, this makes his rebounding even more important given his ability to start (and finish) the fast break, an area where the Clippers have a distinct advantage on opposition teams.

While the Clippers are on the cusp of the top half of the league in defensive efficiency at 103.3, their three-point field goal percentage has dropped off after becoming the #1 team in the league last season. Teams are hitting 34.9% of shots beyond the arc through the current season as opposed to the 33.2% mark Doc Rivers‘ team set a year ago, while they also rank 16th in opposing field goal percentage. The aforementioned small forward struggles contribute largely to that percentage coupled with Jamal Crawford’s on ball defense – despite his three steals and two block performance against Utah on Jan 28.

One final area of concern is the Clippers rotation on defense, quite evident when defending pick and rolls. Though it has improved since the beginning of the season, Griffin and Jordan both tend to over commit when defending the pick and roll, creating the paint to become wide open for opposing offences to run into, causing the Clippers to give up 59.3% (per nba.com/stats) of shots inside five feet. For all of Jordan’s improvements and now constant knack to block and alter shots, this is another area which must be improved for the Clippers to get where they want to be defensively.

Most Clipper fans will know that the team hasn’t played their best basketball for a lot of this season yet they are still in a position for home court advantage in the first round. This is somewhat frustrating however it also shows fans that with the right changes and improvements in the needed areas, the Clippers can become that championship contending team we all want them (and know) they can be.

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