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Los Angeles Clippers: Despite Strong Start, Team Is Showing Vulnerability

By Julius Lasin

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Even though the Los Angeles Clippers are winning games, they’re showing vulnerability in their recent play

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Following a much-needed road win in Portland against the Trail Blazers, the Los Angeles Clippers improved to 4-2 on the season and seem poised to right the ship after an enigmatic start to the season.

However, the Clippers still displayed the deficiencies and mental breakdowns that have plagued them seven games into the season, and that will cost them wins later on in the season

The most obvious weakness in the Los Angeles Clippers thus far has been a lackluster defense—on both the perimeter and interior.

Entering Sunday’s slate of games, the Clippers were sixth worst in the league in defensive rating, with 106.1. Their opponents also have an effective field goal percentage of 54.8 percent, which further demonstrates the lack of cohesion on that end of the floor.

The poor showing on the defensive end starts with the Clippers’ inability to rotate and cover shooters with any consistency. Despite having several strong individual defenders, the Clippers are less than the sum of their parts right now, allowing opposing teams to shoot 39.8 percent from the three-point line, which is fifth worst in the NBA.

In addition to their defensive woes on the perimeter, the Los Angeles Clippers lack interior enforcers outside of DeAndre Jordan to discourage opposing players from attacking the paint and scoring. As a result, the Clippers have also allowed opponents to convert league-worst 61.3 percent of their shots at the rim.

But the issues do not stop at the defensive end; the Clippers have also shown signs of lethargy and miscommunication on offense. Despite returning almost everybody from last season’s potent offense and adding floor-spacer Spencer Hawes, things have not been any better for Blake Griffin and company when it comes to scoring in the paint. The Clippers rank 27th in the league in points in the paint, averaging a pitiful 35.3 points per gamed down low.

A lot of that has to do with Griffin’s refusal to attack the paint and roll to the basket off of pick and rolls. Griffin is likely taking so many jump shots after recalibrating his jumper over the summer–and in the preseason, the improvement was noticeable. Although the it seemed Griffin had added a new weapon to his offensive arsenal, things have gone awry in the regular season, with Griffin shooting only 40.4 percent on shots 16-24 feet away from the basket and an even worse 37.7 percent on mid-range jump shots. But for whatever reason, Griffin has attempted more mid-range shots than shots in the paint, despite shooting almost 17 percent better from inside the key.

Even though much is being made about Griffin’s infatuation with jump shots, the offensive struggles don’t rest solely on his shoulders. The team as a whole seemingly relies too much on streaky jump shooting—they rank 25th in percentage of points being two-point shots. What that means is that the Los Angeles Clippers severely lack any inside scoring presence not named Blake Griffin, who, as mentioned before, is suddenly averse to being in the paint. 

What that means is that the Clippers severely lack any inside scoring presence not named Blake Griffin, who, as mentioned before, is suddenly averse to being in the paint.

Like most teams that doesn’t score or defend in the paint very well, the Clippers also don’t rebound well. Actually, not rebounding well is an understatement. The Los Angeles Clippers are absolutely pathetic on the boards. They rank dead-last in every rebounding category, averaging only 34.3 rebounds per game. DeAndre Jordan alone averages 10.7 rebounds, so the rest of the team is to blame—especially Griffin, who is only averaging 6.3 boards per game, which is far and ahead the lowest of his career.

In spite of the uncharacteristic offensive and defensive issues the Los Angeles Clippers are exhibiting, they’re still 4-2 and possess two of the top 15 players in the NBA, which gives them a better chance than most teams to fix these fundamental flaws. And who knows, maybe Griffin gets his jump shot going and mixes up his shot selection some, the Clippers become a viable offensive threat from all over the floor, and they become virtually impossible to defend.

Although offensive tweaks and improvements may not forgive the defensive and rebounding sins the Clippers are committing, Doc Rivers is a coach who is known for his focus on the defensive end and making adjustments to cover up flaws and blemishes on his roster, so there is genuine hope for the Los Angeles Clippers to get their act together and be championship contenders in April and May.

Next: Are the Golden State Warriors an elite team?

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