LA Clippers: Offense is great, but defense must be the priority

While the LA Clippers enjoy the offseason they have to think about how to improve next year. Focusing on defense is one of them.

The offseason is the time to reflect on what worked and didn’t work during the last season. The LA Clippers defense worked and the defense didn’t.

Guarding the basket isn’t what everybody wants to do in the NBA. The NBA is more focused on entertaining offenses. On the other hand, the Clippers have to focus on defense next year. The strong suit of this team is the other side of the ball.

With top defenders like Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the potential for greatness is unlimited.

Leonard and George struggled to make shots last year. Creating easier opportunities through the defensive end will help with the shooting slumps. George and Leonard are among the best defenders in the league. They both can put the clamps on the best wing player on your team.

Ever since 2012, the Finals MVP has been a small forward. The names (excluding Andre Iguodala) are the three best players in the league right now.

LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant are their names. If you have two defenders that can guard all three of those players then you are in great shape.

The Clippers have the advantage of having Kawhi Leonard in the flesh. Using Paul George to guard the best wing player while Leonard shuts down the rest of the team will help the team generate winning streaks that didn’t happen last year.

As said before, the defense affects the offense. During the 2019-20 NBA season, the Clippers were only ranked 11th in fast breakpoints.

The defense can turn into offense for the LA Clippers

For them to be able to get where they need to be they have to be ranked higher in transition points. To do that there needs to be a more concentrated effort on defense.

Leonard needs to hop into passing lanes and smother his defender. George needs to handle the challenge of guarding the best wing on the team to free easy baskets on the other end for Leonard.

Kawhi Leonard is not the most athletic or fast player in the league so asking him to have a high octane transition game is asking a little too much.

If he focuses on that though it causes him to avoid those high-pressure half-court moments. Leonard has the ability to use his strength to drive to the hole.

That strength will have to be used in transition. Overpowering smaller defenders that catch up to him on the break for easy layups will have to be done in order for the Clippers to go to another level.

The little things were missed last year. Sometimes the effort wasn’t there.

The whole team needs to maximize their effort in order for the team to go for next year. Players like Landry Shamet and Montrezl Harrell will need to step into a starting role, depending on how free agency goes.

The superstars are the ones that control the complete effort of everybody on the team. George and Leonard are the perfect players to have as your stars.

They lead by example. If every possession is taken with absolute care on defense by the two of these players it will lead to a complete team.

Last season the Clippers were 20th in deflections, 24th in defensive loose balls recovered and fifth in second-chance points.

The hustle was there in the half court but they lacked the ability to get those easy transition points. More focus has to be applied on the defensive end.

The LA Clippers need to get their shooting fixed. What will help is an effort to get more transition points. Next year the Clippers will need to run.