Los Angeles Clippers: Has Reggie Bullock Earned More Playing Time?
The Los Angeles Clippers have been a mild disappointment through the first part of the 2014-15 NBA season, and while not all of their struggles are due to their poor play at the small forward position, it is a good assumption that a starting-caliber player at the three would be a blessing.
I have talked about some of the potentially available players the Clippers could pick up, but since that time many of those players have proven to not be available. Jason Richardson is injured and might never play in the NBA again. J.J. Barea has changed teams. The NBA landscape has changed, and while there are still opportunities, the Clippers might need to solve this problem internally.
I also wrote about the potential of 2014 first-round pick C.J. Wilcox playing a larger role, but while he can shoot, he would still be very undersized at the three and could only be played sparingly.
Still, is there something, or someone, we have all overlooked? Reggie Bullock, the Clippers 6′ 7″ swingman, has been stapled to the bench for most of the season. However, in his limited minutes, he has been fantastic. Check out his per-36 minute stats this year:
| Season | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 7.9 | .545 | 6.5 | .667 | 0.0 | 5.8 | 1.4 | 13.0 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/19/2014.
Sixty-seven percent from behind the arc? Granted, he has only taken nine attempts so far, but hitting six of those is still impressive. He has a good assist-to-turnover ratio, rebounds well, and has clearly improved his shooting stroke. He also has the size that someone like Wilcox does not, and just look at his numbers versus the incumbent starter, the much maligned Matt Barnes:
| Season | FGA | FG% | 3PA | 3P% | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 8.3 | .389 | 5.3 | .324 | 2.0 | .769 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 9.7 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/19/2014.
Bullock has much better overall stats, in the extremely limited minutes he has played. You have to wonder, if, at this point, coach Doc Rivers decides to at least try giving Bullock more minutes.
The wing position has been a disaster for the Clippers for most of the last two years. It would make sense to roll the dice on Reggie Bullock and see if he can deliver the same quality with higher quantity. If his shooting can hold up while playing more minutes, and minutes against regular rotation players rather the end of the bench scrubs he faces now, then maybe Los Angeles can again vault back into the championship discussion.
Los Angeles drafted Bullock knowing that he had the body and athleticism to play in the league, and hoping that they could develop the rest. So it makes little sense to keep a blossoming young player like Bullock on the bench while giving heavy minutes to aging veteran Matt Barnes. Barnes might have a good game here or there, but he is in his thirties, and is not going to develop any farther. His volatility is also something better used off the bench, where he can be reigned in prior to a meltdown.
Now is the time to experiment with Bullock, especially with Chris Douglas-Roberts expected to miss some time due to injury. With Douglas-Roberts out, it is the perfect excuse to try Bullock in a larger role. If he fails, Rivers can always send him back to the pine. If he succeeds, then the the Clippers might have found their answer to the problems on the wing, without having to do something drastic, like trading starting center DeAndre Jordan.
So many teams make the mistake of using the “proven veteran” while a productive young player languishes on the bench. Jermaine O’Neal spent years sitting on the end of the bench in Portland before blossoming into an All-Star in Indiana. Tracy McGrady was forced to play sidekick to Vince Carter in Toronto before emerging as an MVP candidate in Orlando and Houston.
Even now you see guys like Perry Jones III in Oklahoma City get some playing time after becoming one with the bench all of last year, and suddenly he throws up a few 30 point games. Or you look T.J. Warren, the first round draft pick of the Phoenix Suns, forced to watch, despite his ridiculous production in the preseason and in a D-League stint, as guys like P.J. Tucker play ahead of him.
Hopefully Doc Rivers can figure this one out and at least see what Bullock can do. Bullock has earned a chance to play, and lets be honest, the Clippers are never reaching the NBA Finals with Matt Barnes starting on the wing.