Los Angeles Clippers: Can The Clips Win It All?
With the regular season finally upon us, what should the expectations be for the Los Angeles Clippers this year? With the additions made in the offseason for this group it is time to ask. Can the Clippers win it all?
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According to
, the Clippers are 8-1 odds to win the NBA Finals this year, compared to 7-1 for the
, 7-2 for the
, and 5-2 for the
.
So Las Vegas believes that Los Angeles has a legitimate shot, but not the best shot, and we know that Las Vegas does not necessarily try to get it right, but only tries to get the most even-handed action in order to make the most money.
Statistically speaking, are the Clippers good enough, even with the revamped bench and improved front-court depth?
I took a look at who has the best frontcourt in the Western Conference, and found it was the Clippers. Can we expand that and look at the entire roster, and based on per minute averages, project whether this team improved enough to compete with last year’s champions? Take a look at the chart below:
In the chart you see the per 36 minute average of all the combined players on each team. Basically, it is a way to see the overall talent level of a team, and get a basis for the potential. For last year, we see the actual numbers of both the Clippers and the eventual champion Spurs.
Notice how last year, the Clippers shot worse from both inside and outside the arc, while grabbing fewer rebounds, dishing fewer assists, and committing more fouls. The differences are not huge, but it was enough to give Los Angeles a second round exit while San Antonio dominated the NBA Finals en route to another championship for the Gregg Popovich/Tim Duncan duo.
However, projecting this year’s Clippers team, you can see some immediate improvement. Better 3-point shooting, 2-point shooting, rebounds, assists, blocks, free throw numbers, and total points.
The projection shows a vastly improved team, however we have to keep in mind that the projection is assuming season-long health of all the starters. It does not take into account any potential injuries to Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, or others. Last year Redick and Paul both missed significant time.
Still, it has to give Clippers fans hope that, if healthy, this team is at least theoretically better than the 2013-14 juggernaut that was the San Antonio Spurs.