The Los Angeles Clippers find themselves in an unprecedented position, but should they part ways with one of their vets?
Doc Rivers’ ball club sit at 24-20 and are the 7th seed out Western Conference. If you’d have offered the Los Angeles Clippers faithful that record after 43 games, they’d have snatched your hand off.
In light of this early season success, fans are feeling glum. LA is 8-12 over their last 20, and although still in the playoff picture, it feels as though the Clips are on thin ice.
Their recent downfall can be attributed to a myriad of things. The effort as of late – for whatever reason – has noticeably slipped, with the ball club sporting a defensive rating of 110.7 as evidence. That’s the 9th worst in the league.
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The Clippers have also struggled on the boards – particularly defensively – all season long, and it’s finally catching up with them. With Marcin Gortat aging, Montrezl Harrell standing at just 6-foot-8 and Boban Marjanovic lacking mobility, it’s no wonder they’ve been so porous on the glass. LA allows the second most 2nd chance points in the league (14.7), and have the 9th worst defensive rebounding percentage at 71.6 percent.
Amidst the obvious deficiencies, the Clippers – at least seemingly – have a strong and deep enough roster to make the postseason.
However, it’s the utilization of this roster that’s the issue. Nothing speaks more to this than Doc Rivers’ current use of veteran guard Avery Bradley.
Acquired in the Blake Griffin trade last season, Bradley rarely saw the court due to being hampered by injuries. The Clippers finished 42-40, narrowly missing the playoffs.
This season, he’s been ever-present, and it seems the once-defensive stud has lost a step. Averaging just 7.6 points per game (lowest since sophomore season), 1.8 rebounds and 0.6 steals (lowest since rookie year), it’s fair to say Bradley’s been sub-par.
In addition, the veteran guard is shooting poorly (38.4% from the field, 31.9% from three) and is only getting to the line 0.4 times a game, the lowest mark since his rookie year.
Although the offensive side of the ball isn’t Bradley’s calling card, the defensive side is. And this year, it’s been ugly.
The eye test – as well as almost all advanced metrics – suggest Bradley has been poor defensively this year. Particularly for him.
Despite being often hailed as an elite defender, Bradley ranks 211th out of 314 NBA players who have started a game in defensive win shares.
Per 100 possessions, Bradley is occupying a defensive rating of 116, per basketball reference.
The former Texas guard’s on/off court numbers don’t help his case, either. The opposition’s offensive rating increases from 115.4 to 117.3 when Bradley’s on the court and the Clippers’ offensive rating sees an increase of 8.1 (111.9 to 120) when Bradley’s off the court, according to basketball reference.
Simply put, if the Clippers want a legitimate shot at making the playoffs, Bradley’s minutes have to be cut.
The fact he plays more minutes per contest than Lou Williams is obscene, even if the reasoning is to attempt to increase his trade value.
Maybe Bradley will round into form in a more limited role – who knows. But as of right now, he’s not the answer at two guard. Lou Williams is in a different stratosphere offensively, and defensively there isn’t too much separating the pair.
In the bloodbath that is the Western Conference, an adjustment needs to be made sooner rather than later. Otherwise, LA can kiss a playoff berth goodbye.