Familiar flaws loom in L.A.
Championship hopefuls searching for ‘toughness’ as trade deadline nears
As the buyers and sellers line up in advance of the NBA’s March 25 trade deadline, no aspiring contender needs a boost more than the Los Angeles Clippers.
It would be too harsh to label the Clippers as a disappointment. They entered Saturday’s action as the Western Conference’s fourth seed with a 26-16 record thanks to a top-five offense and the league’s most efficient 3-point attack. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George were both easy allstar selections, and they’ve gotten quality contributions from offseason acquisitions Serge Ibaka and Nicolas Batum.
But familiar flaws and areas of slippage have kept the Clippers from reaching the top of the West standings, and they’ve reached the point where it would be foolish to expect different results from the same personnel. This is an organization with a mild identity crisis: Leonard and George teamed up with the hope of producing a team that was elite on both sides of the ball, yet the Clippers’ defense has fallen to merely average. The result has been a campaign marked by wild swings in effectiveness.
“Until we show some toughness and some willingness to guard one on one, I think it’s going to be tough for us,” coach Tyronn Lue said after a blowout loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on March 14 in which the Clippers conceded a season-high 135 points. “We’ve got to be more physical. We’ve got to have a defensive mindset to start every game . . . . We’ve shown we can play at a high level, but we’ve got to do it every single night. We can’t keep talking about it. We’ve got to (expletive) … do it.”
That same night, Leonard said that the Clippers’ up-and-down stretches were “very concerning,” adding that if his team “want(ed) to have a chance at anything, you’ve got to be consistent.” After another blowout loss, this time to the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, George directed his ire toward the officiating during a postgame news conference, resulting in a $35,000 fine from the league office.
In George’s view, the Clippers’ aggressiveness that night wasn’t rewarded properly with trips to the foul line. The bigger issue, one that has persisted since early in the season, is that the Clippers aren’t committed enough to attacking the basket. Entering Saturday’s action, Los Angeles ranked 29th in field goal attempts from within 5 feet of the basket, 23rd in drives per game and 27th in free throw attempts. Leonard and George each take just about 17 percent of their shots in the basket area, trailing well behind top foul-drawers like Giannis Antetokounmpo (47 percent) and LeBron James (32 percent).
Because Leonard and George are both excellent outside shooters, the Clippers have enough pop to get by on most nights despite their limited interior offense. However, their lack of a downhill threat and their willingness to settle for jumpers often comes back to bite them in close games, just like it did during a series of second-half meltdowns in last year’s playoffs. The Clippers have an 811 record in games that are within five points in the last five minutes — the worst winning percentage among contenders — and their clutch offense ranks 22nd.
These persistent lategame struggles and the spotty defensive effort should prompt deadline activity if Clippers owner Steve Ballmer still harbors championship hopes. Last year, Ballmer added Marcus Morris, Reggie Jackson and Joakim Noah in midseason moves, and he didn’t hesitate to part ways with longtime coach Doc Rivers after a humiliating second-round exit against the Denver Nuggets. Another shake-up is in order.
Veteran point guard Patrick Beverley has battled health issues over the last two seasons, and the Clippers could use an attackminded option in his spot. Lou Williams has seen his role cut and his numbers drop this season, and the 34-year-old guard’s limited defensive ability makes him tough to count on during the postseason. Meanwhile, shooting guard Luke Kennard has been dropped from the rotation almost entirely over the past month.
Without an infusion of backcourt help to support Leonard and George, the Clippers will be hardpressed to execute in the playoffs against top defenses like the Los Angeles Lakers and they will continue to struggle to contain perimeter scorers. Already this season, the Clippers have been roasted by Zach LaVine (45 points), Luka Doncic (42 points), Kyrie Irving (39 points), Stephen Curry (38 points) and Trae Young (38 points). This qualifies as a recurring problem, as they never fully contained Doncic or Jamal Murray in the bubble playoffs.
While the urgency factor would be even higher if the Clippers hadn’t re-signed George to a four-year, $190 million extension before the season, the clock is clearly ticking. Leonard, Ibaka, Williams and Batum are all free agents this summer, and the Clippers’ veteran-dominated roster is lacking in younger prospects who look capable of making a leap. Building around Leonard and George will only get trickier as they proceed into their thirties: Their combined salaries will eat up more than half of the cap if Leonard re-signs this summer, and the Clippers have traded away three future firstround picks and three pick swaps in previous deals.
All of this leaves Ballmer and his talented front office in a difficult position: The Clippers have several roster flaws and few assets to address them. Putting aside Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry, who is probably an unreachable dream target, the Clippers could benefit from adding Devonte’ Graham, Ricky Rubio, Rajon Rondo, Evan Fournier or Victor Oladipo. Even Eric Bledsoe, who has endured a rough season in New Orleans and has an ugly track record in the playoffs, might help.
Sitting tight at the deadline would be a major mistake, as doing so would reflect a degree of trust this roster hasn’t earned and a level of complacency that these Clippers can’t afford.