The Los Angeles Clippers’ win streak has finally come to an end, but it doesn’t mean they need to resort to giving Blake Griffin too much playing time when he returns.
Besides the general matter of maintaining good health and not aggravating injury, the Los Angeles Clippers need to limit Blake Griffin’s minutes when he returns. Even though they lost their last game to the Sacramento Kings 1101-03, they still only lost after winning 10 straight and they didn’t have DeAndre Jordan due to pneumonia either.
It’s taken the loss of two stars to end their streak, and with the way they’re playing and the emergence of a center who’s finally getting the minutes he deserves, the Clippers don’t need to overuse Griffin.
First off, let’s consider the 10-game win streak. Yes, there’s the matter of their opponents. Until facing the Miami Heat (which resulted in a 90-104 win for the Clippers), they played no teams above .500. Of course, it would be better if they had a few victories against top teams, but an authoritative win over the Heat and their elite frontcourt without Jordan was the tough result L.A. needed.
The fact remains that the Clippers kept winning, and they did so through adversity. They’ve had more than their fair share of struggles thanks to a new bench and Doc Rivers’ puzzling rotations, and they weren’t exactly much better than a .500 team for most of the early stages of the season anyway. So, seeing as they are now just one of three teams in the NBA with at least a 9-1 record in their last 10 games (along with the San Antonio Spurs and Cleveland Cavaliers), it’s safe to say they’re on the rise.
You take away Griffin and now Jordan, and it was only inevitable they were going to lose at some point. Yet, a 10-game win streak still says a lot about their improvement. Add on the fact that they’ve had the second best net rating (+9.9) in the NBA since losing Griffin after Christmas Day, and it’s clear their streak has been surprisingly impressive (per NBA.com).
Their net rating has been higher than the Cleveland Cavaliers (+6.4), Oklahoma City Thunder (+6.8) and even the Golden State Warriors (+6). Obviously their schedule has helped, but at least the Clippers have been winning in conniving fashion — and they haven’t even had their superstar forward.
Next, the emergence of Cole Aldrich is possibly the key factor as to why Griffin doesn’t need to be thrown into the rotation with his usual 35 minutes a night.
Over the first 27 games, Aldrich appeared in only five. Thankfully for the Clippers, that’s now changed. Aldrich has been a vital piece of the bench since Griffin’s injury, averaging nine points, 5.5 rebounds, one steal and 0.9 blocks in just 15.6 minutes per game.
And since Jordan has been out, Aldrich has been even better. His pick-and-roll game with Pablo Prigioni has worked effectively, he’s hustling to find lanes to the basket for easy dunks, and his touch near the rim with hook shots and finishing through contact has looked better. His 19 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks over the last two contests has gone above and beyond what the Clippers could ask for, and he’s done this in just 26.4 minutes a night.
Aldrich adds so much more stability to the second unit than Josh Smith ever did at center with small-ball lineups, and his energy, defense, and surprising amount of offensive production and chemistry with teammates has allowed the Clippers to keep winning.
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Finally, the way that Smith has actually proved that he can contribute when Doc lets him play can help limit Griffin. Until the Clippers’ last two games, Smith had received a DNP in eight of 10 games. Now, he’s averaged a respectable eight points, five rebounds and two steals in only 19.5 minutes over his last two contests.
Even if Doc is only going to use him at center because he’s absolutely forced to do so without Jordan, Smith can still help with some athleticism and defense.
Somewhere in the region of 20-25 minutes won’t just help Griffin ease into playing after tearing a quadricep tendon. It can help maintain the rhythm that the Clippers have found in his absence, both with Paul Pierce playing more stretch power forward, utilizing Chris Paul as the clear leader for their smaller lineups, and finally using Aldrich correctly as a genuine center off the bench.
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With the Houston Rockets and New York Knicks in their next three games (the Cleveland Cavaliers in the middle won’t exactly be easy), the Clippers can easily get back to winning soon, especially if Jordan is able to play again.
There’s no need to turn this chemistry and improvement upside down by forcing Griffin to do too much too early. Going forward, it could really help the rest of the team.