Los Angeles Clippers: Is Jordan Farmar A Quality Backup?
As the season was starting, and I was looking at how the Los Angeles Clippers might perform, one of my biggest question marks with Los Angeles was how they would deal with the inevitable time without all-star point guard Chris Paul.
The Los Angeles Clippers had signed Jordan Farmar, journeyman and former Los Angeles Laker, as the primary ball-handler when Paul is on the bench or in street clothes. On the surface, that seemed like a disaster, as I detailed in my breakdown of the Clippers over/under win total.
However, after a mostly good 2013-14 season with the Lakers, and a surprisingly effective Clipper debut, maybe we need to take another look at whether Farmar can be just as effective, or even more-so, than Darren Collison or Eric Bledsoe from years past.
Bledsoe:
| Season | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | FTA | FT% | AST | STL | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-13 | 13.2 | .445 | 1.8 | .397 | 3.1 | .791 | 5.4 | 2.5 | 3.2 | 14.9 |
Collison:
| Season | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | FTA | FT% | AST | STL | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | 12.1 | .467 | 3.3 | .376 | 3.9 | .857 | 5.2 | 1.6 | 2.3 | 15.9 |
Farmar:
| Season | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | FTA | FT% | AST | STL | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | 14.4 | .415 | 6.3 | .438 | 2.3 | .746 | 7.9 | 1.5 | 3.7 | 16.4 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com
Generated 10/31/2014.
You can see Farmar’s stats from last year compared to what Collison and Bledsoe produced as Paul’s back-up in Los Angeles. Farmar is not the scorer that Collison and Bledsoe were, but he has more assists and shoots better behind the three point line.
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For a team full of finishers that is short on sharpshooting wings, Farmar might actually be a better fit than either of the other two.
Bledsoe is a great defender, and is definitely a better overall player. But he has always been more of a slasher, penetrating into the heart of the defense with the ability to score against taller defenders.
However, that is not what this team needs. It has Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, Matt Barnes, and a host of other strong finishers. The Clippers need spacing to give those guys a clear lane where they can use their strength and athleticism.
Darren Collison has also proven to be effective in the NBA, at least on offense, but he is much more of a shoot first guard looking to get his own shot, rather than set up his teammates.
And again, Farmar seems to be the better compliment. Farmar has nearly two more assists per 36 minutes than either Bledsoe or Collison. So you know that he will be looking to get his talented teammates the ball before launching an ill-advised shot.
Though when he does shoot it, Farmar has shown he can be an elite three point threat.
Last year Farmar did not play enough to qualify, but if he had, then his .438 three point percentage would have been fifth in the league, behind only noted sharpshooters Kyle Korver, Mike Miller, Anthony Morrow, and Jose Calderon.
So maybe we have been underestimating Farmar and what he can bring to the table. Perhaps he can do more than just hold the fort with Paul resting, and perhaps he can turn the Clippers bench, along with Jamal Crawford and Spencer Hawes, into one of the best in the NBA.
Only time will tell if Farmar can harness the promise he showed last season and help lead his team toward the ultimate goal: a trip to the NBA Finals.