Clippers keep options open
Rivers’ philosophy on defense changes from year to year, depending on trends in the NBA.
On the first day of practice in Hawaii, Clippers assistant coach Brendan O’Connor, who has the task of establishing the team’s defensive identity, explained the philosophy.
“We want to be a team that doesn’t give up layups and corner threes,” O’Connor said.
Achieving a strong defensive presence remains in the developmental stages for the Clippers. They have spent more time trying to find harmony on offense than defense thus far in training camp. But by no means have they forgotten about defense, and that will become a point of emphasis in the coming days, weeks and months.
“We’re going to put in some defensive stuff that we haven’t put in,” coach Doc Rivers said. “We have to start catching up there. But offensively, we’ll just try to keep really with the same philosophy of running and getting the floor spaced, and then running really when things aren’t going well.”
Each year, Rivers said, their philosophy on defense changes some depending on their personnel and the changing styles of play in the NBA.
And then, of course, Rivers has nine new players to indoctrinate into the Clippers’ ways.
“We will change our defense a little bit,” Rivers said. “It changes every year some. But it’s just more guys. When you’re putting both in and you have that many new guys, you got to get your offensive stuff just to get them to play right, first. And then you start working on your defense.”
The Clippers are strong on the front end and back end of their defense, giving them hope that they have the goods to be a deterrent to the opposition. Point guard Patrick Beverley made the All-NBA first-team defensive team last season as a Rocket and center DeAndre Jordan was third team.
“I think we have some good individual defensive players,” Rivers said. “So I will say that. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a good defensive team. I mean, Patrick Beverley made the all-defensive team last year. But their team wasn’t necessarily a great defensive team. So you can be an individual player defensively — and we have DJ and Patrick in that — but we want to be a great defensive team. So we have to put it together.”
The Clippers get another opportunity to strengthen their defense when they face the high-powered Portland Trail Blazers and their potent backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum on Sunday at Staples Center.
“I think our defensive second effort has been really good too and that makes up for mistakes,” Blake Griffin said. “That makes up for sometimes a lack of communication here or there.
“But I’m not sure where we’re at. It’s hard to say, but I expect to be a very good defensive team this year.”
Having Jordan, who was tied for seventh last season in blocked shots (1.65) and was third in rebounds (13.8), patrol the middle will go a long way in helping the Clippers on defense.
“When you’ve got a dog on the ball like Pat [Beverley] and then you’ve got the wings like [Danilo] Gallinari and Blake is out there too and you got me back there, I think we’re going to be pretty good,” Jordan said Saturday. “But we’ve got a long ways to go.”