With Chris Paul moving on to greener pastures in Houston, what can we expect from the funky group that the Clippers have put together?
For the first time in what seems like eons, we aren’t sure what to make of the Clippers. When Chris Paul was still in Los Angeles, we knew exactly what the Clippers were going to be heading into every season: a team with a surefire top five offense, an average defense at worst and weird chemistry issues that would flare up every so often.
The Clippers operated like clockwork on offense. They would pick-and-roll teams to death, generate open looks for shooters, limit turnovers and take advantage of the midrange game. With Paul gone, the Clippers feel like a brand new team. Doc Rivers has been reassigned from his dual role as coach and general manager. Although the roster still features Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and Austin Rivers (I couldn’t resist), the franchise has a bunch of new, interesting players that it needs to integrate.
The Clippers aren’t going to be competing for a championship, but they have the potential to be one of the most fun groups in the NBA this season. Losing one of the best point guards ever hurts, but the Clippers will have more freedom on the offensive end. They have numerous players that can initiate the offense, whip nifty passes and heat up from beyond the arc. On the defensive side of the ball, Patrick Beverley and Jordan will have to bear big burdens, but they have a few lineups that should be sturdy on that end.
This is a deep roster. If Rivers can figure the rotation out and everything meshes well, this team could push for the 50 win mark. The Clippers have high disaster potential, though. The defense could be flat out bad and they are counting on numerous players with concerning injury histories to say the very least.
Let’s see how Doc might structure this team and how they’ll look on the court.