17. LA Clippers 2010s all-decade starting lineup
- Chris Paul
- Lou Williams
- Eric Gordon
- Blake Griffin
- DeAndre Jordan
Lob City was as talented a trio as there was in the NBA during its heyday, but the pieces surrounding them were flawed in several ways, ultimately keeping the LA Clippers from a potential championship.
JJ Redick had the shooting guard position locked down, but LA went through a revolving door of small forwards. Additionally, the starting lineup didn’t have a supplementary ballhandler next to Chris Paul to help ease his load.
Lou Williams and Eric Gordon fill both of those gaps. Neither is a traditional wing, but both are elite outside snipers and capable combo ballhandlers.
Gordon, in particular, was on the path to stardom in his last season in LA by averaging 22.3 points and 4.4 assists per game while shooting 36.4 percent from beyond the arc.
A two-time Sixth Man of the Year winner with the Clippers, Williams is better suited as the head-honcho of the second unit, but he’s closed many games alongside superior talent throughout his career.
The Clippers perimeter doesn’t have size, which leaves them susceptible to elite wings. As great as Blake Griffin was offensively when he finished third in MVP voting in 2013-14, he’s never been much of a plus at the other end either.
CP3 and DeAndre Jordan, however, racked up several All-Defense titles and ranked among the best at their position. They’ll do their part, but only the matchup will dictate whether that’s enough to compliment a more form-fitting offense than what the Big Three originally had.