Last season, the Clippers finally broke the Western Conference Finals spell. Despite Kawhi Leonard's sidelines over injury problems, the Clippers, with the cooperation of George and Reggie, played their first Trip to the West Finals quite well.
In the offseason, the team of the Western Conference Finals remained basically unchanged, and Ballmer took George and Leonard with him to participate in the "groundbreaking ceremony" of the new stadium in the offseason, both of which were in the year of playing, and the team's lineup of role players was fully functional. As long as there are no major injuries, the Clippers' first Finals trip is very promising in the next 3 years.
The future is bright but the road is bumpy. Before the return of the whole team, Paul George was entrusted with the task of leading at least the entire 2020-21 regular season, but from the beginning, the Clippers clearly did not adapt to this rhythm.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="6" > the league's last place, and rebound protection is not in place</h1>
Rebounding is a team's guarantee of winning. As of now, the Clippers have averaged 41 rebounds per game, ranking 30th in the league, and in the game, it is impossible to grab it.
Since the Clippers formed the twin stars of George and Leonard, they have been a team that relies on jump shots and three-pointers. George's scoring methods are very handy, and Leonard, as a heavy forward, likes to approach the basket in confrontation in the confrontation. But mid-range shooting is still a solid means of facing a high-level defense.
To shoot, you have to have the guarantee of rebounding. But the Clippers' roster is skewed towards the Little Quicks. There are basically no players who can carry under the basket. Their eight-time center Zubac, who has to assist in defense and block people, is often pulled out of the block for "military training", leaving an empty space under the basket.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="12" > the second scoring point, and it is necessary to practice Reggie</h1>
The protection of rebounds, in turn, is complemented by the stability of the score. When the Clippers' offensive means are abundant and the defense can be taken away with a wave of accurate three-pointers, the defense has to be forced to expand outward. In this case, whether the defender rushes to grab the rebound or the center to pick up the second offense, the chance is guaranteed.
The Clippers' poor efficiency became a shackle that constrained offense and rebounding. Their 42 percent shooting percentage is only 26th in the league. As a team that has played a historic three-point efficiency, this season's three-point shooting is only 31.7%, and the continuous iron playing coupled with defensive errors has made the Clippers suffer from the enemy in the belly and be taken away from the game without paying attention.
General George alone can not lead the team, Lu Coach this season is trying to dig out a reliable and stable second scoring point, the previous "George + Leonard" combination, as far as possible to transform the "George + second scorer" combination.
If it is last season's full-staff Clippers, this task is not difficult to achieve, Morris Jr. and Reggie Jackson have experience as offensive main players in other teams, but when the team encounters injuries, conditions and other unfavorable factors at the same time, it is extremely difficult to dig from the inside.
Speaking of data, Morris Jr. has been on the Daily Watch List since October 25 due to an injury to his left knee. In the two games he played, he averaged only 9.5 points per game. Another helper, Reggie, was at the heart of last season's playoffs, with a cold hand to only 31.3 percent shooting.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="24" > choose a wealth of choices, who does Coach Lu choose to activate? </h1>
In the only win, the Clippers took a big lead. The first thing Director Lu did was give Reggie more free shots, shooting 15 three-pointers in one game. Using the shots on the field to speed up the process of regaining the feel shows the importance of establishing the second scoring point as soon as possible.
In the lineup, there is also Kenard who also has the ability to score. The Pistons can average 15+ per game when they have enough ball, but on the defensive end it doesn't quite meet the team's requirements. Similarly, there is a strong little defender Bledsoe, who feels hot from time to time but is not stable enough.
In 2021, it's not so easy for a single-core team to win. Paul George also enjoyed Curry's treatment last season, and other teams don't need much preparation and analysis to know: the focus against the Clippers is only to defend George, and the rest of the players are one-on-one defense, just waiting for the victory to fall in their hands.
The Clippers also have a lot to offer, such as their control of errors is still very solid, averaging 11.6 turnovers per game, the lowest in the league. George's outside defense is very oppressive, averaging 11.4 steals per game to rank first in the league. These steals and control errors are the basic set for the Clippers to reach the Western Conference Finals last season. The sooner they find their second scoring point and form a linkage on the court, the sooner the Clippers will be able to find themselves.