LA Clippers: Patrick Patterson’s improved play will be big help

The LA Clippers have great chemistry and that has paid dividends for this team. Patrick Patterson is one of the players that has benefited.

The LA Clippers are back. On Monday it was announced that the Clippers training facility would be open again. With the league returning and playing out the rest of the season the Clippers will need all their players to play the way they were playing before the break.

The Clippers are one of the deepest teams in the league. They have three reliable main scorers in the starting lineup and on the bench in Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Lou Williams. While that is true they also have role players that can provide scoring for them also.

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Patrick Beverley along with his defense averages 7.9 points per game, JaMychal Green averages 6.5 points per game, Ivaca Zubac averages 8.0 points per game and Landry Shamet averages 9.7 points per game.

While Patrick Patterson only averages 4.6 points per game he has been able to make timely 3-pointers that have helped the team. Patterson’s production has dropped in recent years and the failed years for the Oklahoma City Thunder were times that he would like to forget.

Patterson only averaged 3.6 points last season and 3.9 points the year before that in his time with OKC. His points were not the problem though as his 3-point percentage dropped from 38.6 percent in 2017-18 to 33.6 percent in 2018-19.

Those OKC teams had trouble putting the ball in the basket. There was not very much on-court chemistry or ball movement on that team.

During his years with the Toronto Raptors he was on a team that had chemistry and he was able to shine. During his three full years in Toronto, he averaged 8.0 points per game in 2014-15 and shot 37.1 percent from three, 6.9 points per game in 2015-16 and shot 36.2 percent from three and finally 6.8 points per game in 2016-17 and shot 37.2 percent from behind the arc.

When he is with a team with good chemistry and the mission is to go far in the playoffs that is when he is able to shine. During his last year in Toronto, he made 94 threes in 65 games. In OKC he made 66 threes in 82 games his first year and 46 in 63 games his second year.

This year in LA he has made 55 threes in 51 games. The Clippers have been able to find him in that right corner that he loves. All of his 55 makes this year were assisted and most of them were in that corner of the court.

For this Clippers team, he is back to what he previously used to be in Toronto. He also has 47 games of playoff experience which will help out the LA Clippers whether he is in the game or not. The playoff experience that this team has as a complete group will be something that is not talked about but will be an important factor in the playoffs.

Patrick Patterson is not the greatest scorer ever and he is not a player that you can give the ball to and let him do his thing but if you are a team with good chemistry and you know how to find him for open 3-pointers then he will be able to contribute for you.