5 weaknesses LA Clippers need to address this offseason
The LA Clippers are in prime position to compete for a championship in 2023. They have a playoff-ready roster and one of the best coaches in the NBA in Tyronn Lue. Squandering two play-in tournament games was unfortunate, but last season was never their target. They are going to get Kawhi Leonard and Paul George at full strength next season, and their newly acquired role players should flourish.
However, this season is not "championship or bust." The players are in their prime and not particularly old. The coach and his staff are excellent, and the front office is not shy to spend money. Plus, Leonard and George are both under contract until 2024-25 with a player option in the final year. They can build into something formidable and continue to dominate the league for the next few seasons.
What do the LA Clippers need to fix this offseason?
The Clippers have some issues that need to be addressed as they reel from their play-in tournament losses.
One of the main issues was depth at point guard with a solid playmaker off the bench and so the organization added John Wall. Wall's addition makes them one of the scariest title-contenders in the league. As of today, the Clippers have the second-best odds of winning the 2023 title, just behind the reigning champions, the Golden State Warriors.
John Wall says he is healthy, happy to compete for a starting job and is excited to be on a deep Clippers roster with enough talent where “I don’t have to be Batman every night for us to win.”
He added: “You tell me the 3rd-best defender is going to have to guard me? Good luck.” https://t.co/AXHoQi3eyq
No team is perfect, but every championship-contending team tries to get as close to it as possible. Here is what the Clippers need to address before training camp begins:
#1: Size and rebounding
The Clippers' Achilles heel might just be their lack of size and rebounding. They were last in the league in offensive rebounds allowed and bottom five in offensive boards themselves. They seriously need someone who can come off the bench for Ivica Zubac as they have practically no center depth.
One understandable strategy is that the coaching staff simply elects to go small-ball in certain situations and Zubac gets a breather. Nevertheless, they cannot win if they don't grab rebounds. Giving up offensive rebounds will kill them in the playoffs, and opposing coaches will use their lack of size against them.
the Clippers currently have one actual big man, Ivica Zubac
forget small ball, they might have to play micro ball
The Clippers are near the bottom in almost every rebounding metric, and they certainly need to add some size. Players like DeMarcus Cousins and Myles Turner are reportedly available on the market.
#2: Interior defense
The Clippers aren't an impressive shot-blocking team despite being ranked eighth in the league in blocks per game last season. They have very little rim protection, and their blocks aren't a result of big inside presence.
Ivica Zubac isn't a rim protector like most big men, and he has no backup off the bench. The forwards aren't shot-blockers as well. Nicolas Batum averaged 0.7 blocks per game last season, and the rest of the players are all worse than him in this category.
To reiterate, the Clippers need to target someone like Myles Turner or Hassan Whiteside in free agency to improve their paint defense. If they elect to go small, opposing teams can get to the rim at will.
#3: Forward depth
Clearly, the Clippers need size but not just at center but also at the four. They re-signed Batum and Robert Covington but need more players who can play a combo of forward and center.
They could use someone who can be a small-ball center when asked and provide the team with rebounding, interior defense and shooting. Stretch bigs are quite common in the league today as opposed to 10 years ago. The Clippers need to add depth at the forward position as Marcus Morris is likely on his way out.
This weakness is not a priority as they will often have Leonard at the four for a versatile offensive lineup. George will shift to the three while Norman Powell and John Wall form the backcourt. There are going to be several occasions when Batum doesn't get playing time.
#4: Chemistry
The Clippers are practically a new team if you compare their 2019 roster.
They got rid of Patrick Beverley and have acquired players like Norman Powell and John Wall. The starting lineup that will compete for the 2023 championship has not played a single minute together. Leonard was hurt all season long last year, and Wall hasn't even debuted the team colors yet.
The combination of George, Wall, Leonard and Powell needs to be in sync. Moreover, coach Tyronn Lue and his staff need to figure out the right rotations and substitution patterns.
Back home from summer league, so taking a look at how much the league has turned over in last 5 years.
LA Clippers are 1 of 7 teams with no players left from the 2017-18 season.
And yes, one of these teams is not like the others when it comes to long-term core continuity. twitter.com/LawMurrayTheNU… https://t.co/yWDbY1GsJl
The three All-Stars and Powell need playing time together. Wall needs to figure out the offense and use his playmaking skills to the best of his abilities, so he'll require reps.
The Clippers will be fighting against already-established teams like the Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns who all have chemistry.
For example, the Warriors' Big Three can use their experience and chemistry to be in the right spots at the right time. Meanwhile, the newly formed Clippers will still be finding the right rotations and adjusting on the fly.
#5 Health
The final one is a bit of a no-brainer for any NBA team or athlete, but it is particularly important for the Clippers. They simply cannot afford injuries to their starters again.
It does seem like injuries are a part of the game that cannot be controlled and can happen at any given time. While that is true, offseason conditioning and training play a major role in player health for the upcoming season.
George and Leonard have both missed over 25 games in a season all three years they have been in LA. Kawhi didn't play a single game last season, and George laced up for just 31. In fact, both stars have never played over 57 games for the franchise in a single season.
Every plan and strategy can go horribly wrong if their stars keep getting hurt. The organization needs to play added attention to the health and conditioning of their players this offseason.