Los Angeles Clippers: Milos Teodosic is getting his shot back

After a miserable shooting display in his first month back from his early-season injury, Milos Teodosic has been a respectable shooter for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2018.

When the Los Angeles Clippers signed Milos Teodosic, the team knew it was getting a transcendent passer. Former and future teammate Patrick Beverley declared that Teodosic “might be the best passer in the NBA” when Teodosic inked his deal. As a quick search for highlights would show, Teodosic’s passing has certainly been exemplary.

While he is clearly a very talented distributor, Teodosic can certainly be more than that. During his time in Europe, Teodosic was consistently a solid shooter from beyond the arc. He knocked down 38.7 percent of his triples during his six years in Euroleague play.

Teodosic’s shot did not appear to translate at the start of his NBA career. Milos made just 30.2 percent of his shots from deep during the 2017 calendar year. However, Teodosic has been far better since the calendar turned to 2018. Given his health issues earlier in the season, the Clippers should hope that his shot has come back and is here to stay.

Making adjustments

Milos Teodosic played just two games for the Los Angeles Clippers in October before going down with plantar fasciitis. When he returned to the court in December, his passing wizardry was just as obvious as ever. His shot, however, was an entirely separate issue.

Teodosic made four of 12 shots in his two October games, and his accuracy did not improve when he returned in December. Teodosic shot just 34.1 percent from the floor in nine December games, and his true shooting percentage was an abysmal 46 percent.

While his shooting display in 2017 was concerning, Milos has turned it around since the start of 2018. He knocked down a solid 37.7 percent of his triples in January, and had converted 39.3 percent of his shots from deep in February prior to Tuesday’s game against the Denver Nuggets. His true shooting percentage has also jumped from that miserable 46 percent mark (close to the bottom of the league) to an above-average 57.1 percent clip since the new year.

Future outlook

The Los Angeles Clippers signed Milos Teodosic with the hopes of replacing the passing excellence of Chris Paul. Their plan to replace Paul’s two-way play with Teodosic and Beverley looked brilliant on the surface, but sadly fell flat due to injuries.

Injuries also limited Milos’ offensive upside to start the season. He might have also needed some time to adjust to the increased distance of the NBA arc in comparison to the Euroleague line. However, those issues seem to have faded as Teodosic’s shot has looked much better since the start of 2018.

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Milos Teodosic holds a player option for the 2018-19 season for $6.3 million. Given the recent Lou Williams extension, Teodosic might not be able to command much more than that $6.3 million in free agency. However, he may decide to risk opting out in hopes of signing a longer-term deal. If his shooting since the start of 2018 is more indicative of his future, the Los Angeles Clippers would be well-served by trying to keep Milos around.