Los Angeles Clippers: An Early Look At The New Additions

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Oct 28, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Lance Stephenson (1) looks to pass out the ball against Sacramento Kings center Kosta Koufos (41) during the first quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

Lance Stephenson

Stephenson was the last-minute, surprise winner of the starting small forward gig. The Clippers were rumored to be looking at Paul Pierce and Wesley Johnson to replace last year’s starter Matt Barnes. After Rivers acquired Stephenson in a trade for Barnes, he said that Stephenson would be used in a “utility” role and that Stephenson starting was the “worst-case and not a bad case” scenario.

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It appears that the worst-case is the current case, as Stephenson won the starting job in preseason by impressing Rivers with his defensive skill. He’s a long, athletic wing who is capable of defending the talented wings they may face in the playoffs like Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, and Klay Thompson. Stephenson appears to be the Clippers’ best option, which is intriguing but terrifying.

Stephenson’s 21.2 minutes per game aren’t as much as a typical starter earns, but he does appear with the starters in the team’s most used unit according to NBA.com. The Clippers’ starting unit of Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, Stephenson, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan are playing 18.2 minutes per game, nearly double the time that their next most unit plays together. Stephenson’s ability to remain with that unit will depend on his ability to defend while not sacrificing the team’s offense.

So far, so good.

When that five-man lineup shares the court, the Clippers are shooting 59.5 percent on field goals and an insane 45.2 percent on three-pointers. The team’s highest plus/minus is with the starters. The majority of this is due to just how great the other four starters play together, but it’s a positive that they’ve been able to maintain the elite production with Stephenson sharing the court.

Stephenson’s usage percentage of 14.6 is a career-low, but he’s been more efficient. Stephenson’s stat line of 5.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game doesn’t jump off the page, but he’s shown some flashes of being good. One of the bigger questions for Stephenson is on if he could demand being accounted for by opposing defenses as a somewhat respectable shooter.

Stephenson had one of the worst shooting seasons ever last season, making only 18 of his 105 attempts (17.1 percent) from deep. Stephenson is off to a great start at becoming a respected shooter and has made four of his nine attempts (44.4 percent). It’s extremely unlikely that Stephenson can keep that 44.4 percent going as the sample size increases, but if he can become dependable enough to where defenders can’t ignore him, he should be fine offensively.

There are still examples of “Lance being Lance” with his bad habits of over-dribbling, having mental lapses and trying to do too much, but that’s just something the Clippers must learn to live with and hope that those occurrences are few and far between.

At the very least, he’s played better this season than the player he was traded for, Matt Barnes, and to our knowledge Stephenson hasn’t driven to fight any opposing coaches yet.

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