It sounds like a broken record by now, but this season has been yet another injury-riddled one for Doc Rivers and the LA Clippers.
Danilo Gallinari has only played 19 of 71 games, Milos Teodosic and Austin Rivers have only managed to play 42 and 51 games, respectively, and Patrick Beverley has been out most of the season.
Almost impressively, that doesn’t even cover all of the slew of injuries the LA Clippers have had to endure this season; it’s punctuated by LA starting a league-lead 32 different starting lineups this season.
But this hasn’t hurt the Clips as much as you’d think. Somehow, they remain in the hunt for postseason basketball out West.
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They’ve stayed competitive by committee, getting excellent contributions across the board, headlined by Lou Williams. The 6-foot-1 guard is putting up career-highs in points (22.9) and assists (5.5).
The Clippers constant rotating cast speaks to the excellence of Doc Rivers. Many questioned his coaching pedigree during the “Lob City” era, but he’s showing exactly why he’s a championship caliber coach.
LA has had three G-Leaguer’s on their roster, along with significant minutes being handed to 2nd round picks Sindarius Thornwell and Jawun Evans. The fact that they’re in the hunt for the 8th seed and five games above .500 is admirable.
Despite being 18th in defensive rating, the LA Clippers are a top 10 offensive team. They’ve been significantly helped by the addition of Tobias Harris, who’s averaging 19.4 points per game on 47/41/82 splits.
Another key to their effectiveness on the offensive end is the pace at which the Clippers play at. They are the 6th quickest team in the league, playing to the strengths of their rim runners in DeAndre Jordan and third-year phenom Montrezl Harrell.
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Playoffs or not, the LA Clippers deserve be commended for their persistence this season. They’re on tracking for a winning season, and have beaten the league’s top four teams, each on the road. Nothing but respect should be shown to Doc Rivers and his resilient roster.