Clippers’ Wesley Johnson stepping up with hustle, defense

Wesley Johnson’s hustle and defense played a big part in the Los Angeles’ Clippers win against the New Orleans Pelicans, and it’s starting to increase his impact beyond shooting.

Wesley Johnson has easily been one of the best additions the Los Angeles Clippers made this summer, and he continues to demonstrate why. Except for the shooting decline he’s had lately, he’s been making a real impact in L.A., particularly with his overall energy, solid defense and great corner three-point shooting. Plus, when he made a couple of big plays and shots down the stretch when the Clippers let the New Orleans Pelicans come back on Sunday, he reminded everyone what a valuable addition he’s been.

In fact, Johnson wasn’t having a good offensive game until the end. He shot a mere 3-of-11 from three and 5-of-13 overall, which doesn’t exactly shout “clutch”. That being said, when it mattered most, he stepped up. And all night long, he was a nuisance defensively and racked up a season-high five steals.

He earned 33 minutes playing time for that reason, and because he made some crucial plays down the stretch (a couple of big threes and defensive stops) he helped the Clippers just hang on as they nearly blew the game until pulling away in overtime to win 111-114.

These kind of flashes, not to mention the way he was flying into the paint going after lose balls or bothering shooters, was key. His hustle was a major factor, and on Sunday he brought the kind of defensive intensity that every player from the bench needs to emulate.

This play, with six minutes left in the fourth quarter, showcased a lot, too. Of course, it’s just one play, but it showed better chemistry (we probably wouldn’t have seen this at the start of the season), a great touch-pass from both DeAndre Jordan and Johnson, and then the ferocious dunk at the end.

Without doubt, that’s one of the smoothest and most unexpected plays the Clippers have pulled off this season. And what makes it even better is that it was Jordan with the quick pass (albeit an easy one) instead of Blake Griffin, and Johnson for the dunk. To make it even better, it came when the team’s offense had gone cold and the Pelicans were suddenly within four points.

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The fast, intense play of Johnson paid off there, and we all got to enjoy it.

This season, the Clippers are better off defensively when Johnson’s in the game. They allow 2.4 less points per 100 possessions (minor, but it’s still a positive difference), and his personal defensive numbers are also respectable, as he forces opponents to shoot lower than their average percentage from three-point range.

From beyond 15 feet, players are shooting 3.2 percent lower than normal against Johnson.

On top of that, he’s also averaging a career-high 1.7 steals per 36 minutes.

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When his shooting returns to normal after going just 2-of-14 from the field prior to the game against the Pelicans, he’ll once again be the corner threat we’ve grown accustomed to seeing. In the meantime, it looks like some hustle and defense is going to be another key attribute he’ll be bringing off the bench.