OKC Thunder: NBA Power Rankings -Griffin buyout shifts ladder at half way mark
. 24-14. Previous: 3rd. Los Angeles Clippers. 9. team. 77
LA Clippers:
Week 11: 0-2
Lost to: Celtics 112-117, Wizards 117-119
Week 12 opponents: Warriors, @Pelicans
Offense: (116.8) 3rd
Defense: (111.5) 15th
Net: (Plus +5.3) 5th
A season after the Clippers imploded in the bubble there are residual effects remaining. Lawrence Frank addressed the frontcourt needs in the offseason and there have been moments where this club looks like the scariest squad in the Association.
Similarly, the games where the Clippers fall to a team they should easily beat or cough up big leads are concerning. Although Kawhi Leonard is playing in back-to-backs this season he still missed eight of the Clippers’ 38 first-half matches while Paul George missed 11 games.
While the Clippers haven’t delivered the defensive effort their capable of something else stands out as the bigger issue. BALL MOVEMENT.
LA ranks 21st in assist percentage (58.4 percent) and 18th in assists per game. They boast the best 3-point efficiency but 14.2 percent of those shots are unassisted (23rd ranked).
George is the top assist man (5.4) with Leonard close behind (4.9) and that may be why the Clippers bigs aren’t feasting. For example, Serge Ibaka was virtually unstoppable in the pick and roll in Toronto but isn’t being used to his potential in LA.
Is that because PG and Kawhi don’t typically run pick and roll sets or because Beverley isn’t a traditional point guard? Ultimately, that seems like the missing piece of the Clippers equation.