How the Los Angeles Clippers can bounce back from a disappointing start
Los Angeles Clippers: Improve shot selection!
In the game of basketball, there has always been the concept of giving up a good shot in favor of a great shot. This is always done through spacing, player movement, and most importantly, ball movement. Teams like the 1973 New York Knicks, the 1986 Boston Celtics, and the 2017 Golden State Warriors put on nightly clinics using these concepts and became champions in the process.
The L.A. Clippers are not only failing to utilize this concept, they are relying on one-on-one play that rarely wins games. While Paul George is one of the most talented isolation players in the league, his ball dominance in the absence of the other elite wing player, Kawhi Leonard, gives the offense an unintentional imbalance.
If Leonard were there, defenses would not be able to concentrate on him or George and disrupt the Clippers’ plans. However, in Leonard’s absence, the team’s strategy needs to be readjusted. John Wall and Reggie Jackson are two very talented point guards; however, they are only averaging 5.4 and 4.4 assists per game, respectively.
As the two primary ball handlers on the team, they must seek to get their teammates involved more and orchestrate the offense in a more traditional way. Everyone in the league knows they can score, but the Clippers’ offense needs a captain who can guide the ship through the turbulent waters of NBA defenses. As a whole, they are averaging 22.4 assists per game, which ranks 26th out of 30 teams in the league. That is a recipe for disaster.
If the regular season ended today, the L.A. Clippers would be in eighth place and be forced to participate in the play-in tournament. That is a far cry from the outcome pundits predicted for them at the beginning of the season. The good news is that Kawhi Leonard should be fully healthy by the time the postseason rolls around.
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The bad news is that the team’s current play does not guarantee them a place among the Western Conference’s playoff contenders. However, if the team focuses on moving the ball, taking better shots, and securing more rebounds, there is more than enough time to give this story a Hollywood ending.