Los Angeles Clippers Will Be Serious Title Contenders Next Season

A couple weeks ago, it did not look like the Los Angeles Clippers were going to have a great offseason. DeAndre Jordan was about to sign with the Dallas Mavericks, and the team was going to seriously decline after last year’s playoff run, but Doc Rivers, the general manager, really worked hard to make sure the Clippers had a shot at a title for next season.

Rivers landed Paul Pierce, Lance Stephenson, and Josh Smith this offseason, and Rivers and the rest of the Clippers convinced Jordan to stay in Los Angeles. Doc the GM has definitely silenced doubters after his recent offseason moves, and he has put together a great roster to compete for an NBA title.

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Many people have doubted Doc’s GM skills in the past, but it is hard to put down what he has done this offseason. The team lacked depth off the bench last season; other than Jamal Crawford, the team really had no one who could come off the bench and produce for the Clippers.

Austin Rivers did make some noise during the playoffs last season off the bench, but other than Crawford and Rivers, the team relied heavily on Chris Paul, and Blake Griffin.

In the Western Conference Semifinals against Houston, you could see that Griffin and Paul were exhausted because they were playing so many minutes, which is why the Clippers needed to sign some players that can really produce off the bench. This is where Stephenson and Smith come in.

Both Smith and Stephenson  have proven in the past that they can play great defense and produce on the offensive end. Stephenson was a terrible three-point shooter last season, and he did not really perform well in Charlotte, but he should be a much better fit on the Clippers. Smith is also going to be a good fit on the Clippers because of his ability to get up and down the floor.

He is not really a good three-point shooter, but against the Clippers last year in the playoffs, Smith showed that he has the ability to shoot consistently from beyond the arc.

Smith, Stephenson, and Crawford off the bench is very intriguing because of the many lineup possibilities that could happen. Griffin and Smith in the frontcourt, with Paul, Crawford, and Stephenson making up the guards and wings sounds like a very fun lineup, as does Jordan and Smith in the frontcourt because of their ability to protect the rim.

The starting lineup for the Clippers next season will probably be Paul, J.J. Redick, Pierce, Griffin, and Jordan, which could be one of the best starting lineups in the league, along with a very talented bench.

The Pierce addition was one of the biggest moves for the Clippers this offseason because he will replace Matt Barnes, who was a good contributor for the Clippers last season, but Pierce will produce much more on the offensive end then Barnes.

Pierce has played more postseason games than every player on the Clippers, and down the stretch he is one of the best end-of-the-game assassins in the NBA right now.

Adding Pierce, Stephenson, Smith, and resigning Jordan makes the Clippers a serious title contender next season. The Warriors, Spurs, Cavaliers, and the Clippers should be the preseason favorites to win a title, but only one team can make it out of the West, and next year is the best chance for the Clippers to win an NBA title.

Doc the GM and the Clippers might have won the offseason.

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