Los Angeles Clippers: 5 Reasons This Is Their Year

2. Star Power

The Clippers’ bench is as good as it’s ever been, but this team’s true power still lies within its starting five — more specifically, its Big three of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.

Though Chris Paul’s basic numbers — 19.2 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 5.5 APG, 2.9 SPG — don’t quite measure up from the best numbers of his career, CP3 has been as efficient and surgical as he’s ever been in his career.

Not only is he shooting a blistering 48.5 percent from the floor, 47.3 percent from downtown and 91.4 percent from the foul line, but he also boasts a 33.6 Player Efficiency Rating and a team-high plus/minus of +16.7.

Speaking of surgical, is there a passing big in the NBA more lethal than Blake Griffin right now?

Watching him operate from the elbow has been a true joy this year, and we’ve already got a season’s worth of highlights from him throwing perfect lobs to DeAndre Jordan for demoralizing alley-oops.

Griffin is averaging 20.2 points, 9.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.3 steals in just 31.7 minutes per game, speaking to his extreme efficacy in limited playing time. His game looks as well-rounded as ever, and even those who criticize his inefficient midrange shooting so far will admit the Clippers’ offense has been rolling regardless.

DeAndre Jordan’s numbers are similarly down, but even with his numbers dropping to 10.5 points, 12.4 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game on 56.4 percent shooting, his value on the boards, protecting the rim and as an alley-oop threat remains as strong as ever.

Lob City still makes its money through its Big Three, but thanks to improved depth, they haven’t had to ride their star power as much. A Clippers team with a well-rested CP3, Griffin and DJ come playoff time is a terrifying concept for the rest of the league.