Los Angeles Clippers: How to Fix the Clippers

The Los Angeles Clippers are meant to be serious title contenders this season, but have looked weak coming out of the gate. Their problems need to be fixed before their title chances go up in smoke.

During the offseason, the Los Angeles Clippers were one of the busiest teams in the NBA. They survived a minor crisis when it seemed as though DeAndre Jordan would be joining the Dallas Mavericks, and rebounded well to sign several free agents to bolster their bench. After losing in heartbreaking fashion to the Houston Rockets in the second round of the 2015 Western Conference playoffs, the Clippers were desperate for another shot at the title, and all offseason signs pointed to them making strides in the right direction.

On paper, the Clippers should be regarded as a title contender. Led by Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, the Clippers have two of the ten best players in the NBA. Griffin, after last season, showed that he was ready to lead the team in Paul’s absence, and thankfully so, as it seemed that Paul was losing his touch at times during last season.

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The Clippers also have a good supporting cast around the dynamic duo – DeAndre Jordan, Jamal Crawford, Paul Pierce, and J.J. Redick are all players that you’d expect to see on a title-winning roster. General manager (and head coach) Doc Rivers improved the bench by signing Josh Smith, Lance Stephenson, Cole Aldrich, and Wes Johnson – leading many analysts to claim that the Clippers had one of the better offseason recruitment drives.

However, the Clippers have floundered of late, sputtering to a 6-7 record after a 4-0 start. After the crushing 124-117 defeat at the hands of the Golden State Warriors (in a game where they were up by 23 points in the first half), things have gone from bad to worse as it emerged that Josh Smith and an unnamed coach had an argument after a 91-80 loss to the Toronto Raptors.

With championship aspirations at stake, the clock is ticking for the Clippers to resolve these issues and get back on the right track.

One of the biggest issues for the Clippers is their inability to close out games. The Clippers are the seventh worst team in the NBA when it comes to point differential in the fourth quarter – simply unacceptable for a contender. The Clippers are a minus-1.4 for the season in fourth quarters, a mark that is worse than their lottery-bound neighbours, the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Clippers are a minus-1.4 for the season in fourth quarters, a mark that is worse than their lottery-bound neighbours, the Los Angeles Lakers.

The problem here is that the Clippers are yet to find a perfect lineup to close teams out with. Paul, Griffin, Redick, and Jordan are certainties in the lineup, but it does leave one spot open at the wing. Previously, Crawford would be included in the late-game lineups for his shot creation and shooting, but his steadily decreasing field goal percentage is a cause for concern.

The other two candidates are Lance Stephenson and Paul Pierce, both of whom were brought in during the offseason. Stephenson hasn’t seen much play, but is part of the lineup that has seen the most minutes this season (Paul, Redick, Stephenson, Griffin, Jordan). That lineup has a net rating of +13.3 points per 100 possessions, and is the Clippers’ best lineup by far.

However, coach Rivers’ reluctance in using this lineup is another problem. It is often said that the coach and general manager are two very different roles – the coach’s duty is to win now, while the general manager sees the bigger picture and has to plan for the future. As such, if a newly acquired player isn’t performing, the general manager often has to encourage and coax the coach not to cut the player’s playing time. After all, how does a player integrate himself with the team if he isn’t given the chance to play?

And therein lies the problem with the Clippers – the GM and the coach are the same person. Early signs have pointed to Doc giving up on Stephenson. Over the last four games, these are his playing time numbers: two minutes against Detroit, zero against Golden State, 19 against Portland, and five against Toronto. Prior to the Detroit game, Lance was getting good burn, never playing less than 18 minutes in the first nine games of the season.

Doc’s desire to win now has prevented the Clippers from experimenting with various lineups and finding out who fits within the rotation. It’s not even December yet, but Doc is already treating some of his players with a short leash, pulling them from games after minor mistakes.

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Ultimately, many of the problems the Clippers are facing stem from the fact that their GM and their coach are one and the same. The competing interests of both roles results in Doc being unable to balance both roles properly. The Clippers need to hire an experienced GM and let Doc focus on the coaching, before it’s too late.

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