Evaluating the LA Clippers' offseason additions so far this season

Aside from a recent obliteration at the hands of the defending champs, the LA Clippers are defying expectations roughly a quarter of the way through the season. With the departure of Paul George to the opposite coast and Kawhi Leonard missing the entire season so far, it would be understandable if you weren’t excited to sit down and watch James Harden dribble the air out of the ball while the team struggles to put points on the board.

You’d be missing out in some ways, though. Sure, Harden is still top 10 in the league in time of possession, time per touch and dribbles per touch, while the Clippers are No. 22 in the league in offensive rating. But the team is 12-8 with a plus-1.8 net rating, which is good for tenth best in the league and the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference.

Their unexpectedly competent start has been built off the back of their stifling defense. Their defensive rating of 108.4 is the fifth best in the league, helping to compensate for their offensive struggles in a big way. They have an elite defensive center in the middle in Ivica Zubac, multiple perimeter defenders who make ball handlers’ lives miserable and they control the defensive glass better than any team in the league.

Harden, Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac are incumbent cogs that soak up most of the usage on this squad while they await Leonard’s return, but they made some underrated offseason moves with their newfound flexibility (from the George departure) that have quietly been an integral part to their success. Here, we’re going to take a look at the new additions and how they’ve performed thus far.

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Derrick Jones Jr. has been what you would expect

The highest-profile acquisition for the Clippers during the summer was uber-athlete Derrick Jones Jr., who signed a three-year, $30 million contract under the team's newly accessible non-taxpayer midlevel exception.

Coming off a career year and Finals appearance with Dallas, Jones Jr. had established himself as one of the better point-of-attack defenders in the league with just enough offensive progression to get consistent minutes. He is a low-usage wing with a wiry frame and superb athleticism that he uses to slip around screens and disrupt opposing ball handlers, generating steals and bothering shots.

This season, he has started every game for the Clippers and playing even more minutes than he did previously in Dallas at almost 26 minutes per night. He is getting up a similarly mediocre number of 3-point attempts but so far is hitting over 40 percent. With the lack of offensive firepower on the floor, he's had a bit more usage on that end and is working reasonably well off the attention drawn by Harden and Powell.

On the defensive end, the Clippers have a solid defensive rating of 112.8 with him on the court, per Cleaning the Glass, which is right around where he was last season in Dallas. His deflections are up (2.5 per 36 minutes to 3.3) as he spends a bit more time patrolling passing lanes and funneling drivers to Zubac in the lane, while his shot contests are down (5.5 per 36 to 4.1), perhaps for similar reasons.

Opponents are also shooting better against his defense this year than in years prior, which is reflected in shooting percentages and career-low block numbers. This isn't encouraging but could also be a product of sample size.

Overall, he may be showing a slight amount of decline on the defensive end compared to years past, but he is still a plus in this area while providing vertical spacing for lobs and continuing to progress as a shooter. For the expectations and contract he signed coming in, he's been almost exactly what was expected, which is all you can really ask for.

Kris Dunn keeps demanding playing time

No, Kris Dunn is not throwing a fit about getting more minutes. He's simply working his butt off and forcing Coach Ty Lue to get him on the floor. Between the struggles of Terance Mann and the great play from Dunn, he has replaced Mann in the starting lineup for the last nine games, where the Clipps have gone 6-3 and Dunn has logged a total plus-minus of plus-55 (plus-13.3 net rating).

After failing to show the offensive development that was hoped for coming into the league as a top-five draft pick, he ended up bouncing around the league, including G-League stints and multiple ten-day contracts. Having latched onto the rebuilding Jazz roster at the end of 2022-23, Dunn finally found his footing last season, leveraging his defensive acumen to grab 19 minutes per game and 32 starts. He parlayed that play into a three-year, $16 million contract with the Clippers this season as they chose him over bringing back Russell Westbrook.

Within the confines of reasonable expectations, Dunn has been pretty awesome in LA. As mentioned, he has taken on a starting role with the team and continues to be one of the most menacing perimeter defenders in the league. Per Cleaning the Glass data, his defensive rating of 102.1 is 97th percentile in the league and his defensive on/off differential is 99th percentile.

Overall, he sports a plus-11.0 net rating on the floor and plus-19.2 on/off differential, meaning he has been one of the most impactful players in the league during his minutes.

He has been passable enough on his limited 3-point attempts (37 percent) and has finished on a blazing 61 percent of his 2-pointers, including over 70 percent at the rim. He is carefully choosing his spots on offense to stay reasonably efficient while providing some secondary ball handling ability when needed.

Defense is where he's earning his keep, though. With the impeccable back line help in the paint, he is free to pressure the ball on the perimeter and create chaos. He's in the top 25 in the league in deflections per 36 minutes and top 20 in steals per 36 (min. 100 minutes), while holding shooters to a minus-2.8 percentage field goal percentage differential. He's spent significant chunks of time tailing all sorts of offensive stars from Kevin Durant and Lauri Markkanen to Fred VanVleet and Stephen Curry with his motor and versatility on full display.

We're not talking about a superstar or anything here, but for the role he fills, this signing has been a home run for the Clippers, who got real bang for their buck with an under-the-radar signing a bit later in the free agency period.

Nic Batum loves being home

Nic Batum has certainly found a home in Los Angeles and playing for Ty Lue. After being waived by the Hornets and signing with LA in 2020, he has spent most of the last five seasons with the Clippers and even came right back this past summer after being traded by them just a few months before, citing his affinity for the city and coach amid stiff competition for his services.

Batum has been the ultimate Swiss Army knife throughout his 17-year NBA career, serving as an above-average defender and passer from the wing position while spacing the floor and connecting the flow on both ends.

At almost 36 years old with almost two decades of NBA experience (as well as many years of phenomenal international play for France), he doesn't have the juice he used to with or without the ball. What he is, is a supremely intelligent connector who seems to always be in the right place and make the right play.

This year, he can't make a shot inside the 3-point line, but he has been critical to the Clippers' dominant defense (seeing a theme here?). He currently has the 11th best defensive rating in the NBA and is holding opponent shooting to a minus-6.3 percent differential. His 6-foot-8 frame and smarts allow him to significantly impact opposing offenses even without the athleticism of his youth. He has even spent time playing the center spot in smaller lineups, demonstrating his versatility.

For the small salary he's paid and the limited role he plays, Batum has given exactly what has been needed, further illustrating the value of veterans who know their role. The Clippers have been plus-8.7 points per 100 possessions better with him on the court than off, a result of his immense defensive impact. They will undoubtedly look for him to shoot a little straighter as the season goes on, but there isn't really anything to complain about overall.

Kevin Porter Jr. does nothing if not make you notice him on the court

After being out of the league last year due to some less-than savory legal troubles, the Clippers took a flier on the talented young Seattle native.

Particularly when Leonard misses time, shot creation and just soaking up possessions was always going to be a bit of a struggle with this roster overall. Boy does Porter Jr. fit that bill. He sports a 27.1 percent usage rate, which is right around the rate of guys like Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and LeBron James, if you want some context around that number.

Unfortunately, this usage comes with a true shooting percentage of 45.7 and a turnover rate of 19.0 percent. These numbers are ... putrid, and career worsts for a guy who has never been a model of efficiency in the first place.

Outside of Harden and Powell, the lineup is just devoid of players who can create offense on their own, which is likely one of the main reasons he continues to get minutes. When (if?) Kawhi Leonard returns to the court, it could be that Porter Jr.'s minutes would be most impacted. For now, he can generate shots at the rim and in the midrange when the offense stagnates (which can be quite often).

While the lack of points added is a bummer, there is some value in the shot creation when there is so little of it on the roster ... probably.

On the positive side, he is showing signs of life on the defensive end of the floor. He's putting up career highs in rebounding rate and block rate, demonstrating a level of activity to suggest he has at least somewhat bought into Ty Lue's defensive standards. He sports a 102.4 defensive rating, showing both an increase in defensive energy and the importance of team context for defensive statistics.

How well Porter Jr. has played relative to expectations will depend largely on who you talk to. Those expecting him to leverage his raw talent to take advantage of the extra shots available are surely quite disappointed. However, he has shown so far that he can be a part of a successful defense with the right circumstances around him, which bodes well if he can rein in the offensive inefficiency even a little.

As a minimum-salary signing, you kind of get what you get and hope for the best. This has been hit-and-miss so far this year, but the defensive activity has been encouraging.

Mo Bamba has been injured and is yet to show much one way or the other

Mo Bamba, the ridiculously long center out of the University of Texas, was signed to a one-year, minimum contract to provide some backup center minutes behind Ivica Zubac.

Unfortunately, he has missed most of the season recovering from a knee injury, having only recently returned to the lineup and playing five games. He's also still being held out of certain games to manage this recovery, making his playing time even more sporadic.

In theory, Bamba is a rim protector (2.7 blocker per 36 minutes for his career) who can stretch the defense out to the 3-point line. So far in his career, he has had a tough time finding a consistent role and making a positive impact. Teams do tend to miss more shots when he's on the floor, but he has bounced around the league the last few years without finding a permanent home.

He has logged six points and five rebounds in 14 minutes per night for the Clippers since his return, but he is still ramping up to getting a rhythm with his new team, so we'll have to wait to see whether he can carve out a consistent role.

The Clippers have been playing undersized centers behind Zubac with Kai Jones and Nic Batum, so the idea of a more traditional rim protector option has some appeal. When the chips are down, though, Coach Lue does enjoy going small, so it remains to be seen if Bamba can get into the rotation on a regular basis.

If you're giving out grades, Bamba gets an 'Incomplete' for now. He's had some impressive blocks already while being cold to start from beyond the arc (27 percent from 3), but he should be allowed some more time to get comfortable before taking too much away from his performance.