<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="1" > thousands of rivers and mountains are always love, pay attention to a wave of no! </h1>
Alexander
What kind of team are the Thunder? I'd like to start with a set of stats to show the current state of the Thunder:
The Thunder averaged 97.2 points per game, the league averaged 107.3 points per game, and the league averaged 118 points per game, and the Thunder ranked 29th in the league.
The Thunder averaged 43.3 rebounds per game, the league average was 46.4 per game, and the league's first average was 54.5 per game, and the Thunder ranked 26th in the league.
The Thunder averaged 19.8 assists per game, the league average was 23.2, the league averageed 28.7 per game, and the Thunder ranked 28th in the league.
The Thunder averaged 7.5 steals per game, the league average was 8.3 per game, and the league's first game was 11.4, and the Thunder ranked 21st in the league.
The Thunder averaged 3.7 blocks per game, the league average was 5.1 times per game, and the league averaged 8.5 times per game, and the Thunder ranked 28th in the league.
Dothr defended less
Judging from the above rankings, the Thunder team is a team outside the league's 20th place in terms of scoring, organization, rebounding, and defense. In the era of small-ball and three-pointers, with less than 100 points per game in the fourth quarter, the Thunder's defense was very weak. It also reflects the current state of the Thunder, a team that is in the process of and may be in the process of rebuilding for a long time. In fact, the Thunder have been committed to rebuilding a team through the draft since George left, so as long as it is a player who can exchange future assets, the team's choice is to give up the immediate battle. However, even in the face of such a Thunder team, the Clippers, who reached the Western Conference Finals last season, are still inseparable from their opponents, and even lost a whole game, until the three three-pointers of George and Kennard helped the team reverse the victory. Compared to last season, they are just one less Leonard!
Clippers defense
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="10" what exactly is missing > Clippers? </h1>
The Clippers' current roster isn't complete, but they also beat the Jazz and made it to the Western Conference Finals in the playoffs last season without Leonard. So far this season, the Clippers have averaged just 102.2 points per game, ranking 25th in the league, 107.3 points below the league average. Last season, the Clippers averaged 114 points per game in the regular season, and they averaged 111.6 points per game even against a higher defensively senior playoff loss. As a result, the Clippers have a big problem scoring, which is one of the reasons why the team is in trouble today. So, what's the problem that got the Clippers into scoring trouble?
I think there are three reasons why the Clippers' offense went wrong.
Leonard
Injury
In addition to the Clippers' lack of Leonard, Ibaka and Morris Jr. also hung up the free card. Ibaka and Morris Jr. are very important in the Clippers' lineup, both of them can play the No. 5 position in the small lineup and can open up space. However, the two were sidelined at the same time due to injury, which caused the Clippers to suddenly step out of their comfort zone, and the team now does not have a real small lineup.
George
backboard
Since George and Leonard joined the Clippers, the team's rebounding has been unsatisfactory. Even last season, the Clippers only scored 44.2 rebounds in the regular season, still below the league average. So, simply speaking, rebounding is not the direct factor that affects the Clippers' record. In other words, if the Clippers only had rebounding problems, the team wouldn't have struggled so much. The Clippers' rebounding problem is mainly that they rely on a small lineup, and Zubac is only a "fake starter" in the game. But when scoring and defending are removed, the shortcomings in rebounding are more prominent.
George steals
defend
The Clippers lost two defensive players in the offseason, One beverly and the other Leonard. Of course, Leonard is likely to return to the team, and Beverley has already joined the Timberwolves. Beverley's bite on the defensive end is very good, not only to cause trouble for the opponent's attack, but also to boost the morale of the team. For now, the Clippers' sending Beverly away is a bad move.
Losing two players who were great defensively, the Clippers introduced starting guard Bradsoul had a clear shortcoming in the three-point shooting category, so they couldn't play the energy of last season's playoffs in the regular season.
George and Leonard
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="22" what about the Clippers >? </h1>
The Clippers are in a very awkward position right now. On the one hand, the Clippers won't be rebuilding now, and all they need to do is wait for Leonard to return. Even if the Clippers reach the division finals this season, Leonard's comeback is not realistic. On the other hand, it is also very important to guarantee the record of this season, after all, the team wants to be profitable, and the fans do not have so much patience. Leonard has renewed his contract with the team in the offseason, which leaves them without much room for reinforcement. The current rumor is that the Clippers want to sign with a base salary after the Rockets bought out Wall, but won't it be nice to mix a championship after Wall took the money? The bottom salary to join the Lakers, Nets, Bucks, which one is not better than the Clippers?
So, under the current lineup, how can the Clippers change to improve the team's record? I think the following points may be worth learning from the team:
Zubac defends Jokic
Use of Zubac
With a 2.13-meter center on the floor, the Clippers are averaging less rebounds per game than the league average. The center doesn't have the ability to pull out space yet, so why would the Clippers let Zubac play in such a situation? I think his ability to guard the basket may be an element that the Clippers need. However, Zubac's presence has greatly dragged down the Clippers' offense, and against the Thunder, Zubac only got 12 minutes of playing time, which is also a new season low, and the Clippers eventually won the game. In the chasing stage of the fourth quarter, the Clippers did not rank Zubac, of course, this has something to do with the Thunder's weakness inside. But it turns out that the Clippers "play small" to have a way out.
Hatten
As for Harten, he only made one three-point shot in six games, and he didn't play a role in opening up space. Meanwhile, Zubac and Hatten averaged more than 40 minutes per game, which means the Clippers always have a center who can't pull out of space and has limited levels of baskets and rebounds, which is why they struggled so much at the beginning of the season. Hatten played 18 minutes and grabbed 12 rebounds on 1-of-1 three-point shooting, but in the last game against the Blazers, Nurkic played 19 minutes and scored just three rebounds. So, that's a center who is very unsuitable for the Clippers.
Beverley defends Doncic
Kennard for Bradsoe
The Clippers' current roster has Bledsoe as a guard. The team's idea may have been to put Bledsoe in the role of Beverly, but Bledsoe didn't have the effect of Beverley on the defensive end. At the same time, Bradsoe's performance on the offensive end is worse than Beverley's. In fact, Beverley's offense is not very strong, but Beverley does not have the ball, and occasionally can shoot a fixed three-pointer, and the Clippers are earning. But Bradsoe's possession of the ball and shots could not play the role of Beverley, and its efficiency was low.
Bledsoe
Bradsoe averaged 3.2 three-point shots per game and shot just 16.7 percent from the field. Coupled with Zubac, who has no control attributes, the Clippers suddenly have two players on the court who can't shoot three points, which is more terrifying than the Lakers' Westbrook to take Jordan Jr. In addition, Bledsoe is not a poor performance in a game, and his slump on the three-point line is a routine operation:
Facing the Grizzlies, he made 2 three-point shots and shot 50% from the field;
Facing the Blazers, three-point shots 4 times, shooting 0%;
Facing the Cavaliers, 4 three-point shots, shooting rate of 0%;
Facing the Blazers, he made three three-point shots and shot 33.3%;
Facing the Thunder, he made 4 three-point shots and shot 0% from the field.
Kennard
In addition, Bradsso's famed lethal ability has not been reflected in several games, and he currently only averages 2.2 free throws per game, shooting 66.7%, and neither the number of free throws nor the free throw shooting rate is ideal. So, I think Bradsoe was a failed attempt by the Clippers, and if you could, see if the Timberwolves would be willing to get Beverley back!
Kennard's disadvantage is very obvious, that is, the defensive end is worse. But I don't think Bradsoe can have a good performance on the defensive end, and it is not good to play well on the offensive end, so it is better to change Kenard to play the starting, at least to open up space, reduce the pressure on the offensive end of the team, and alleviate the embarrassment of the team's current offensive end.
I think the Clippers have a lot of objective difficulties right now. However, they still have a great manager like Paul George, and with the team reaching the Western Conference Finals in a difficult situation last season, they made adjustments in time to improve their record after the return of Ibaka and Morris Jr. Of course, talking about the championship this season is indeed a bit of a fool's dream for the Clippers. Therefore, the Clippers should consider which players the team will use after Leonard's return, how to play, and simulate this style of play as much as possible, so that the team can prepare for the championship in the transition period.