Last season, when Kawhi Leonard was confirmed to be absent for the entire season, the Clippers briefly reorganized their forces and spent more time cultivating Terance Mann and Brandon Boston Jr. In the last game of the playoffs, Paul George was unexpectedly diagnosed. foot. Finally Leonard is back! It also ushered in the new season with a stronger new force such as Robert Covington and Norman Powell, but everything was far from expected…
Before the start of the season, not many people would believe how thrilling the Los Angeles Clippers were in order to qualify for the playoffs, and they did not survive the playoffs until the last day. This season Paul George and Kawhi Leonard have played a total of 108 games, which is the most since they joined the army (two of which were shortened seasons). They have a more abundant bench than before, even if they fail to reach the 2020-21 The strength of the season should have been better than last season when George led alone. In fact, the number of wins was only 2 more.
The 2020-21 season is the most peak year in the history of the Clippers. The playoffs came back from 0-2 adversity twice. Even though Leonard was unfortunately injured in the second round, the Clippers were still led by George to defeat the heyday Jazz for the first time. Breaking into the Western Championship and fighting the Suns to the sixth game, there are regrets in all aspects that “if Leonard is not injured…maybe have a chance to win the championship”. Leonard was absent for the entire season last season. The Clippers turned to build up their forces and spent more time cultivating Terance Mann and Brandon Boston Jr.. In the end, he missed the playoffs, and it was really only a close call. Finally Leonard is back! Also joined Robert Covington, Norman Powell and other new forces to usher in the new season, the speedboat should be better, right? But… everything is far from expected.
Weaknesses of the team: weak defense, short run-in time
The lineup is similar to 2021, but the Clippers are struggling with chemistry. If your impression stays on the “striker sea” with quick defense changes and a size advantage, you may have to correct it. Nicolas Batum and Marcus Morris Sr. waited for two more years, resulting in a decline in physical fitness and defensive ability. This season sometimes encountered young teams that seemed old and slow. In many cases, even George and Leonard were not in the situation. The previous season The Covington defensive engineer, acquired through a trade, was not favored by head coach Ty Lue and failed to squeeze into the core rotation. The “sea of guards” with three or four guards present at the same time is a more common formation.
The Clippers, whose defense has always been in the top half in recent years, are weakest this season but their defense! As mentioned above, the main striker began to degenerate, and two main players were injured one after another. The offensive and defensive efficiency of the striker Hai was not as expected. However, the team had a group of guards who needed playing space and had different functions from each other. In order to make up for the deficiencies of poor offense, Ty Lue once chose to put on more guards to add firepower, and the addition of new guards such as Russell Westbrook, Bones Hyland, and Eric Gordon in the middle of the season made the tacit understanding of the Clippers’ defense and supplementary defense far worse than before. The body advantage is also gradually disappearing.
In the 21 games after the All-Star break, the Clippers have a defensive efficiency of 116.4, ranking 20th in the league. They are only better than the Kings in the Western Conference. Compared with the 112.6 in the first half of the season, they are still in the 10th place and the sixth in the first two months of the season. , the difference is very large. The Grizzlies without Ja Morant scored 51 points in a single quarter. In the last two games when the team raised their fighting spirit, the opponents were the Trail Blazers and the Suns who were pushing each other. The Clippers defense sometimes missed people and lacked concentration , were scored 125 points and 114 points respectively.
In addition to defense, the Clippers, who have alternated between experimental lineups and running-in throughout the season, have welcomed Westbrook with a distinctive style of play. Regardless of the court performance, the extremely aggressive style of play is a type of guard that the Clippers have never had in recent years, and he is also trying to adapt to play a supporting role that has never been seen in his career. How can they complement each other? The Clippers didn’t start to find the answer until February. With such a late start, and George’s accidental sprain against the Thunder on March 22, until the day of the playoffs, they are still struggling to figure out which set of key lineups is the strongest.
Speedboat advantage: individual combat capability
If you observe the Clippers this season, you can find that there is a huge gap between the first half and the second half of the season. The team used to be relatively poor in offense and relied on defense, but in the second half of the season, its firepower has been rising steadily. The offensive efficiency value after the star game is 117.6. 9th in the league, previously only 112 fell to 21st in the league. This is undoubtedly the boost brought by Westbrook. In order to speed up its integration into the team, the Clippers increased their offensive speed, tried to strengthen offensive and defensive transitions, and the number of counterattacks. In addition, they have always been very efficient three-pointers. This season, the average shooting rate reached 38.1%. , even if it fails to create a huge space for the shooter, it can continue to find opportunities to shoot with its excellent individual combat capabilities. Grasp the slight gap, or find a shot opportunity by continuing on the periphery or by cutting in.
In addition to Leonard and George, two all-round forwards capable of inside and outside, the Clippers guards also have above-average ball-handling offensive skills, including Westbrook, Norman Powell, and Terance Mann, who have all scored more than 30 points in a single game this season. , the newly joined Gordon and Hyland are good players who can cut into the offense in addition to their outside range. Even the veteran Morris Sr. can also launch singles in the mid-range and low post alone. Therefore, as long as the Clippers have one or two players who can fire relay, they do have the explosive power to open the score instantly.
