Clippers-Hornets in Shanghai: 5 key things to look out for
By Tom West
Oct 2, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Josh Smith (right) reacts with center DeAndre Jordan (6) and guard Chris Paul (3) during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
After losing their first preseason matchup against the Charlotte Hornets 106-94 in Shenzhen, China, the Los Angeles Clippers will now attempt to level the series at 1-1 as they face off again in Shanghai. It doesn’t exactly sound impressive that the Clippers are trying to get another win just to go 2-3 in the preseason against a team who only won 33 games last season, but if the bench step up to help make that happen, it will at least be a step in the right direction.
The starters are good enough to make things competitive any night. With three All-NBA players, that much is a given. It’s when matters come into the hands of the second unit during the early stages of the 2015-16 season that the Clippers don’t look quite as deadly.
That should only be for the time being, though.
In their first game against the Hornets, the Clippers only managed to shoot 43.5 percent and committed 16 turnovers (although, that last number is an improvement compared to throwing away 25 against the Toronto Raptors). J.J. Redick scorched the Hornets’ defense with 21 first half points, Blake Griffin was one rebound away from a triple double, and Pablo Prigioni continued to show he’s going to be a great backup point guard this season.
Essentially, the only thing holding back the Clippers, besides Chris Paul’s fractured finger, is the new bench. However, that won’t necessarily be the case if they can just turn their preseason performance around by adopting specific roles. That means less long twos, less dribbling like crazy and more floor spacing instead of idly waiting around for the ball.
You know who that’s referring to.
So, to look into every aspect of the Clippers’ second game against the Hornets that you need to watch out for, continue to the next slide for some Lance Stephenson discussion.
Next: Can Lance Stephenson improve his decision making?