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Los Angeles Clippers: Bench Has Highest Ceiling, But Also Lowest Floor

By Greg Chin

Sep 25, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32), guard C.J. Wilcox (30), center Cole Aldrich (45), guard Wesley Johnson (33) and head coach Doc Rivers during media day at the Clipper Training Facility in Playa Vista. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 25, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin (32), guard C.J. Wilcox (30), center Cole Aldrich (45), guard Wesley Johnson (33) and head coach Doc Rivers during media day at the Clipper Training Facility in Playa Vista. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Los Angeles Clippers were one of the most talked-about teams during the offseason, especially as they were one of the key figures in the DeAndre Jordan saga. But aside from Jordan, the Clippers were busy in the free agent market, finding ways to restock their bench –€“ which was widely considered to be one of the worst last season.

They acquired Josh Smith, Lance Stephenson, Paul Pierce, Cole Aldrich, Pablo Prigioni, Chuck Hayes and Wesley Johnson. On paper, that haul is impressive. Stephenson had a poor season last year, but is an upgrade over Austin Rivers, who was forced to play big minutes as a backup shooting guard late last season.

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After being bought out by the Detroit Pistons, Smith managed to rehabilitate his value with the Houston Rockets, and tormented the Clippers in their second-round matchup. Pierce proved he could still hit big shots as a small-ball power forward for the Washington Wizards last season, while Aldrich, Hayes, Prigioni and Johnson are savvy pickups for the veteran’€™s minimum salary.

But, while the Clippers have the potential to boast one of the league’s deepest benches, they also have the lowest floor among all contenders.

With Jamal Crawford, Stephenson, and Rivers coming off the bench, the Clippers have three players who play the same role. All three players require the ball in their hands to succeed, and only Crawford has shown some success working off the ball.

Stephenson struggled last season playing alongside Kemba Walker, a ball-dominant guard that shares a few similar traits with Crawford. Meanwhile, the jury is still out on whether Rivers can be a positive contributor on this team.

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Prigioni and Pierce are also two of the oldest players in the league. While Pierce managed to stay relatively healthy last season, a player’s decline can be quite dramatic and sudden. All it would take is an injury and it could be the end of Pierce’€™s NBA career for all we know.

The best microcosm of the Clippers’ bench are Johnson and Stephenson. Both players are exciting and have shown glimpses of talent. Stephenson, in particular, was in line for a big payday before his immaturity and antics got the better of him and dissuaded suitors from making a move.

After a horror of a season in Charlotte, Stephenson is looking to rehab his value and seek to prove that he isn’t as volatile as others make him to be.

Johnson, on the other hand, is known to be a bit of a tease. Los Angeles Lakers’€™ fans will remember him as one of their exciting prospects during their dark days, but he didn’t quite amount to anything. Time will tell if switching locker rooms at Staples Center will do him good –€“ and the Clippers are counting on it happening.

Currently, the starting small forward spot will be between Johnson and Pierce, with Johnson as the frontrunner. However, if Johnson doesn’€™t improve, having to start Pierce could end up torpedoing the Clippers’€™ bench depth.

With so many unknown and volatile factors on their bench, the Clippers’ bench could go from being one of the best in the league to being as poor as their bench last season.

Their lack of depth hurt them in the postseason last year as they failed to close out their series against the Rockets, as well as having to overplay their starters during the regular season, and thus tiring them out for the playoffs. For the Clippers, only time will tell if whether their bench will have a Hollywood fairytale ending or crash and burn like a box office flop.

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