If the LA Clippers want to be successful as the new year begins, these are a few things they need to leave behind in 2016.
Nov 25, 2016; Auburn Hills, MI, USA; LA Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) and guard Chris Paul (left) look on from the bench during the fourth quarter against the Detroit Pistons at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Pistons win 108-97. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Out of the gates, the LA Clippers went on a 14-2 run, and it was like they were walking on water. They were playing like the best team in the NBA, leading the conference and the league in win percentage at one point. But after playing nearly all of those games without more than one day between a game, the inevitable happened. The players got lazy, too comfortable, and sloppy. As DeAndre Jordan put it best to ESPN, “we started smelling ourselves.” The rough schedule began wearing on their bodies, and fatigue began to set in, whether they wanted to admit it or not. Then, Blake Griffin‘s knee happened, Chris Paul and J.J. Redick’s hamstrings, and most recently, Wesley Johnson‘s ankle. It seems like every single player is day-to-day. They have lost their way, and desperately need to find it.
The players have little to no control over injuries, and no control over the schedule, but neither of those are excuses for their losing skids. They are merely factors that must be worked around. There are plenty of things the Clippers can do better despite this series of unfortunate events. Now is the time to make adjustments, find new things that work, and push through this adversity.
There’s always going to be that narrative that the Clippers can only be defined in the postseason, which is fair. But there’s absolutely no reason for complacency during the thick of the regular season.
The definition of success for this team may be different from fan to fan, but if we want any form
of success in the playoffs, these are some things the Clippers need to leave behind in 2016 as they need ahead to the new year.
Nov 29, 2016; Brooklyn, NY, USA; LA Clippers head coach Doc Rivers is restrained by Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) as he argues with referee Ken Mauer (not pictured) after receiving a technical foul during the first overtime quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Rivers then received a second technical foul and was ejected from the game. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Technical fouls
The easiest thing we can get rid of is the technical fouls. Granted, the LA Clippers have a bad reputation for complaining often, and the officials certainly get caught up in it, too.
The Clippers have the third most technical fouls combined this season with 32, and currently lead the league in total ejections with five. In addition, Doc leads all coaches with six T’s and two ejections. Last season, the Clippers led the league with 84 total T’s — by far the most, with the Rockets in 2nd place at 75.
While Blake Griffin has improved his behavior on the court significantly (he used to consistently rack up some of the highest number of techs per season), the rest of the team is having difficulty staying calm and collected. In reality, almost every player and coach in the league complains when they get a bad call. But for some reason, the Clippers have a bad rep for it.
The easiest way to avoid getting T’d up is to keep your mouth closed and hands to yourself. Easier said than done in the heat of the moment, but still very possible.
Dec 26, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Nikola Jokic (15) and Denver Nuggets guard Gary Harris (14) defend a shot by Los Angeles Clippers guard Jamal Crawford (11) in the first half of the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Bad offense
We all know that defense wins championships. And Doc has mentioned plenty of times that he’s not worried as much about offense, but he should be. At the end of the day, whichever team scores the most points wins. And for six games in a row, that hasn’t been the Clippers. One of the main reasons the team has dropped to the 7th seed in the Western Conference overnight is because of the cringe-worthy offense.
It’s understandably hard for the players to orchestrate an offense without Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. In games where the duo is missing, the team has trouble generating play and movement that’s efficient and gives players easy shots. With the addition of a couple of other players having day-to-day statuses, this leaves Doc having to shuffle lineups like a deck of cards, which leads to lineups playing by ear rather than having set plays or strategies.
Sort of like when you play a pickup game with four other people you just met. Obviously that’s not totally the case with the Clippers, but that’s definitely what it looks like sometimes.
The silver lining is that we end up discovering new things that work out that we may not have tried if everyone was healthy. This has led to increased minutes for Alan Anderson and most recently, Doc playing Brandon Bass and Marreese Speights at the same time.
Unfortunately, Jamal Crawford is the only player aside from Blake and Chris that can truly create his own shot. Even more unfortunately, he’s extremely streaky game-to-game, so you can’t rely on him for consistent scoring each game. This just creates more offensive instability. Doc seems to be okay with the ball in Jamal’s hands all of the time, but that’s the least efficient way to get points.
The Clippers have too many talented players to resort to hero ball. We know what this team, specifically the bench, is capable of doing, after being shown in the first 16 games of the year. Their offense used to be lethal to other teams, but now it’s stagnant and the ball is sticky.
There’s obviously no clear-cut way for the team to resolve its offensive perils. But without CP3 and Blake, the team has to keep the ball moving. Only one other player can create his own shot, so it’s paramount that the ball keeps zipping around the court. (Though on Friday, Raymond Felton proved that he can do his own thing, scoring 26 points on 50 percent shooting.)
With lots of passing, the ball finds itself in the hands of catch and shoot players like Redick. Plus, the basketball gods just always seem to reward around-the-horn passing with points, which never gets boring to watch.
Dec 18, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal (behind) knocks the ball from LA Clippers forward Luc Mbah a Moute (12) in the first quarter at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Laziness
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Rebounding, 50/50 balls, and defense. During such a tough stretch of the season, and with players playing extended minutes in the absence of other players, fatigue is plaguing their bodies.
But it’s important to know that fighting through it is all mental. Your body can only go as far as your mind takes it. All players have moments when you can tell they’re dog tired, yet continue to push through and hustle hard anyways.
Laziness is the one thing that can potentially affect every aspect of the game. It has a tremendous influence on defense, which, in my opinion, is mostly hustle and effort. Though they miss CP3’s elite play on that side of the floor, defense is something every player is capable of. Settling is detrimental to the team and the game. Hopefully, new adjustments and intensity will come on Monday’s game against the Phoenix Suns.
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New year, new Clippers, right?
