This summer, the Los Angeles Clippers didn’t fill the void in their backup center after free agent Isaiah Hartenstein lost to the New York Knicks. Deciding to start the year without a real backup big man, the Clippers will use a combination of a small ball and maybe some Moses Brown to fill those minutes.
When asked about this ahead of Tuesday’s practice, specifically how comfortable he felt in the regular season, head coach Tairu said: “We have to do this, we really don’t have a choice. I mean Moses. chance But playing smallball I think it’s more important to play smallball when there is Kawai and PG on the floor I think we need to put Zu out early maybe go back to the second block so he can help bounce and I think that it will be better for us because Kawai and PG are great pickers.”
Tai Liu’s last remark was little discussed, and it was the team’s conspicuous absence from last year’s smallball roster. While Isaiah Hartenstein had a solid backup center last year, some games still require a smallball counter and the Clippers don’t always have enough staff to use it effectively.
The most notable example was in the Finals against the New Orleans Pelicans, where a small ball allowed the Clippers to bounce back from a double-digit deficit, but also faltered late due to fatigue and lack of rebounds.
The Pelicans had a 20-point lead over the Pelicans in the third quarter of that game, mostly composed of Reggie Jackson, Terence Mann, Nicholas Batum, Robert Covington and Marcus Morris. different results.
In the fourth and final inning, the Clippers ran out of smallball magic and ended their season. While some will point to their reluctance to re-enter the Zubac as the reason for their late struggle with this defeat, the ability to turn on the Pelicans’ fast defensive end is what gets them back in the game, and the inability to do so was largely the reason why they dug in the first half. The problem in the fourth quarter against New Orleans wasn’t smallball, it was their staff.
As Tyrou said, with the return of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, the squad is much better than last year. What makes these lineups more effective is not just the obvious addition of two star players, but the rebounding, defense and physicality that Leonard and George provide.
The Offensive Effectiveness (ORTG) per 147 minutes for a small ball of Reggie Jackson, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Nicholas Batum and Marcus Morris in the 2021 playoffs is 120.7. The result was the first among all fives to play together for at least 140 minutes this postseason. While their defense has struggled at times, there is reason to believe that the addition of John Wall and Robert Covington will strengthen the squad without too much damage to the offense, if any.
After seeing how Kawhi Leonard and Paul George excelled in small lineups, Tyrou revealed during practice on Tuesday that one of his original plans was to have Ivica Zubac in the middle of Game 1. Get out of the game and then return him to the bench. When Zubak sat down, Liu believed that his two stars could lead the smaller lineups to scoring minutes.
While some may worry that such a responsibility could take its toll on the two veterans with recent injuries in the long run, the Clippers are now staffed to prevent Leonard and George from being forced to move up the ranks in smaller groups. play small five, Nicholas Batum or Marcus Morris four, John Wall or Reggie Jackson point, Leonard and George can continue as a two-three combination even in a small line-up.
That’s what the Clippers are using training camp for, Tyrow said Tuesday. With so many possible composition iterations, many of which are valid, the team is using this time to figure out what works best.
Senior writer covering the NBA for FanNation. NCAA broadcaster at Biola University. Follow Joey on Twitter @joeylinn_
Post time: Sep-29-2022