Lue, Clippers stars huddle to talk about crunchtime woes.
Maybe you’ve noticed? They certainly have.
The Clippers have not been their best selves in crunch time through the first half of this season. And, like fans scratching their heads at home, members of the team have been talking a lot about themselves, too, Coach Tyronn Lue said.
The numbers — limited though they may be — describe the sad (so far) saga of the Clippers’ “clutch minutes,” or those the NBA describes as occurring within the final five minutes of a game with a point differential of five points or fewer.
The Clippers have the fifth-best net rating in the league overall (plus-5.5), but they have a league-worst net rating (minus-24.3) in clutch minutes, when they’re just 24 for 68 (35.3%) from the field. Thirty-eight of their clutch field-goal attempts have been from 3-point range, of which only 13 have gone in.
Individually, the guys whom the Clippers want with the ball down the stretch have done much of the missing: Paul George is 3 for 12 in clutch minutes when all but one of his shots have come from behind the arc.
Leonard is 7 for 25, and 0 for 6 from deep.
The Clippers’ All-Stars recently attributed their ineffective offense in clutch moments to a lack of pace. They theorized that had something to do with a lack of familiarity with one other and with Lue in those situations when they’ve resorted so readily to 3-point shots rather than pressure the rim and have trended away from targeting smaller guards on pick-and-rolls.
Lue thought it was worth noting that his team’s experience with nail-biters has been limited: The Clippers have played only 41 minutes that qualify as clutch this season, 28th fewest in the NBA.
But they spent 90 minutes on Wednesday talking about it.
Lue said he and his team’s stars met before Thursday’s game in Washington, D.C., for a long discussion about ways to improve in those tense minutes when a game’s in the balance.
“Just keep talking about it. Keep showing film. Keep showing them what we want, what we expect — and also what they like as well,” Lue said. “And just talking with PG and Kawhi yesterday, they came in my room for like an hour and a half, just going over different scenarios and situations, what they like, what they didn’t like, good shot, bad shot, and just where they want the ball on the floor, and the spacing.
“We’re working. It’s not gonna be perfect every time and it’s just things to continue to keep building off of. ”
Jackson embraces reserve role
Patrick Patterson might be known as the Clippers’ “Just Add Water” weapon, because they trust he’ll be good even after weeks on the shelf. But Reggie Jackson also has proved a dependable pinch-hitter.
See Tuesday’s seasonhigh 25 points in spot starting duty for Leonard, who was a late scratch with back spasms before the Clippers’ loss in Boston. Then Jackson got the call at the last second again Thursday, filling in as a starter for George, who was experiencing dizziness.
In L.A., Jackson — a 30-year-old guard in his 10th
NBA season — has embraced his role as a reserve.
Earlier in his career, though, as Russell Westbrook’s backup in Oklahoma City, Jackson famously wanted badly to start and to lead a team as Scott Brooks, now the head coach of the Wizards, likely remembers.
Jackson got his wish when the Thunder traded him to Detroit in 2015, where he’d start and sign an $80 million contract over five years during which he often was injured.
Before Thursday’s game again, Brooks reflected on Jackson’s value — as a willing, able reserve — for the Clippers.
“He’s basically coming full circle,” Brooks said. “He was a backup player (in OKC), didn’t play much his first year and then got into the rotation and played good minutes and had a good role with us.
“And then he ended up being a starter in Detroit and battled injuries — injuries are hard. They’re hard to battle and stay mentally sharp and physically get it back to where you want to (be).
“I think he’s there now. He has a nice little role with the team ... a chance to play a lot of good minutes for them.”