Los Angeles Clippers: Problems Doc Rivers Must Address
Doc Rivers has been there and done that. He played point guard for 15 seasons and has experienced the knit and grit of what it takes to be successful as a player. He has won a championship and been to two Finals as a coach with the Boston Celtics. He knows how to get the job done. With that being said, the Los Angeles Clippers are very fortunate to have him aboard and perhaps this year, they can finally get over the hump and reach that next level that has eluded them the past two seasons. Of course, changes will be implemented, lineups will be rearranged and players will have different roles than previous seasons. Rivers’ system is not Vinny Del Negro‘s and he will install whatever nuances he feels are necessary to make the Clippers a legitimate contender, something they have not been even with the addition of their superstar point guard, Chris Paul. Such alterations will serve to improve each Los Angeles player and, as a result, will improve the entire team as a whole. There is plenty of talent here. The problem over the last few years has just been a lack of execution. Doc is likely to change all of that. But what problems does Doc specifically need to address in order to take the Clippers to the next level?
1. No more run-and-gun
Chris Paul must control and slow down the Clippers offense, as per demand of Doc Rivers.
Photo Credit: Chrishmt0423 (Flickr.com)
In order for the Clippers to be a top-tier team in the NBA, the era of “Lob City” has to come to an end. The Clippers play at a hectic pace. While such a pace may be effective enough to keep their opponents on their toes, it can also backfire in that it results in lapses on the defensive end. Slowing the pace down will be the central point to nearly every change Rivers makes to L.A.’s system. It affects just about everything a team does and Doc will be sure to let his players know that. Yes, there are benefits to an uptempo offense. You get shots early in the shot clock, you keep defenses on their heels and you can tire your opponent out. However, there are also drawbacks, such as rushing and getting out of control, taking poor shots and allowing easy buckets. As the Clippers fall victim to this hectic style of offense, their execution on the defensive end suffers. This is something Doc Rivers will not tolerate. We can expect Doc to slow down the pace of the Clippers greatly. It may seem drastic at first, but should prove extremely effective come playoff time.
2. Consistent half-court offense
The Clippers are known as “Lob City” for a reason. They are the team with the most highlight-reel plays, the most fantastic slams and jaw-dropping plays in transition. However, relying too much on lobs to win you games is not going to get you very far against the best of the best, because at the end of the day, a spectacular alley-oop or a soul crushing posterization on Brandon Knight is still only worth two points. You don’t get bonus points for being flashy. There are still instances where you can draw up plays for alley-oops in the playoffs, particularly off of screens and backdoor cuts. The problem arises when you become too opportunistic and don’t really know how to consistently generate points otherwise. This is exactly what the Clippers have been doing. Fortunately for Doc, he has the personnel to transform Los Angeles into more of a half-court team. The Clips sorely needed outside shooting, so they went out and snatched up J.J. Redick and Jared Dudley. That move alone should help L.A. become better in the half-court set. With a point guard like Paul, those two sharpshooters could end up being more effective than ever. Blake Griffin is a very good playmaker in his own right. The 24-year-old averaged 3.6 assists per game in 2012-13, a very impressive number for a power forward. Not only that, but the fact that the Clippers have more outside shooters can help Griffin become better on the low block. Although Griffin does not exactly possess the low post skills of a Karl Malone, with Redick and Dudley now aboard, he will have much more room to operate in the paint. The formula is there for Doc to turn this squad into a very efficient offense in the half-court set. Now we get to watch him go to work.
BONUS: Great play-calling ability out of timeouts
Doc Rivers is a very underrated play caller. His skills in this area can only help the Clippers become better. (Flickr.com photo by Keith Allison)
This is a very underrated coaching skill. Sometimes, they serve as some of the most important moments of a contest, as they can act as momentum changers or result in a game-winning shot. A lot of times, we focus on the result instead of actually examining the genius behind it. This has always been a strength of Rivers, as he has regularly been able to devise great sets out of timeouts that seem to have opposing defenses reeling. Of course, he had the perfect roster to make that possible in Boston and fortunately, he has the players to continue his success in that area with the Clippers. It also helps that Paul is Doc’s point guard. CP3 is such an intelligent basketball player that he is essentially a second coach and you can be sure that he will work in tandem with Rivers to create some of the slickest plays in the league. Doc did it with Rondo, so he can also do it successfully with Paul. Now we just have to sit back and watch.
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