Clippers can’t win title without Blake Griffin, says Chris Paul
By Tom West
Chris Paul has said that the Los Angeles Clippers cannot win a championship without Blake Griffin.
The Los Angeles Clippers are not better off without Blake Griffin. Despite any murmurs that they are or suggestions that it’s time for him to go as his career in L.A. was ‘undone’ by the Matias Testi altercation, the Clippers are not better off without Griffin. Yes, they have found startling success with a small-ball approach and a 22-7 record since his quadriceps injury ruled him out after Christmas, but they still need the wide array of abilities he has to offer.
Chris Paul knows this more than anyone, and unsurprisingly, he had his teammate’s back when it came to the question of whether the Clippers’ championship chances are higher without Blake. Sam Amick of USA Today Sports has reported Paul’s comments on the matter, as he emphasised that a title will only come with Griffin in Los Angeles:
"“We can’t win a championship without Blake,” Paul said recently. “We’re playing for a championship, and there’s no championship without Blake Griffin.”"
Of course, Paul is right. Yes, the Clippers’ style is different without Griffin and they have played surprisingly well without him, but that doesn’t mean that an altered play style when he returns is a problem. More importantly, the last two months really just indicate how well Paul can lead, how well J.J. Redick and DeAndre Jordan have played, how much the defense has improved (now 7th in efficiency), and how the bench have found some more consistency.
Adding their superstar power-guard into the mix won’t suddenly end these trends and undo these improvements.
Dating back to last season, when the Clippers led the NBA in offensive efficiency with 109.8 points per 100 possessions, the starting lineup featuring Griffin had an absurd net rating of +19.2 (per Basketball Reference). Through 2014-15, the team’s offensive rating soared by 14 points per 100 possessions with Griffin in the game.
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Yet again this season before his injury, the story was very similar. The Clippers’ most successful starting lineup actually featured Lance Stephenson at small forward and earned a net rating of +19.9. The most used starting lineup, though, with Luc Mbah a Moute at the three, still had a stellar net rating of +10.1.
Essentially, without breaking down the many reasons as to why Griffin is so vital, from his elite post scoring and mid-range game to his passing, the numbers speak for themselves and they show how much he’s needed.
Jamal Crawford also added to the conversation with USA Today Sports, saying that the Clippers are merely “holding it down” until his return; not finding success in spite of his absence:
"“We’re his support system,” Crawford said. “We all love Blake. No question about it. We love him to death. We can’t wait until he gets back. This guy is the top shelf of NBA players. He averaged (23.2 points, 8.7 rebounds and five assists per game) — only a couple guys in the world put up those types of numbers. And we know him as a person, so we can’t wait to get him back. We’re just holding it down, doing what we do, until he comes back. He’s our big gun. We know that.”"
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The Clippers know they need Griffin to anchor their interior offense and provide another dynamic to run the show, and surviving throughout the playoffs without him or trading him away after the season just isn’t the answer unless they land a superstar type talent or overly generous package deal in return.
The team loves Griffin and wants him for their title run, and there are plenty of reasons why they should feel that way.
If the Clippers fail to win a championship again this season or at least advance to the Western Conference Finals for the first time, it’s hard to ignore the fact that altering the core or making a move to drastically improve the bench will need to be considered. If they can’t surpass the Golden State Warriors (which seems like a near-impossible task for pretty much everyone), this group still won’t be any more likely to win it all next season.
Next: Blake Griffin says he's 'very close' to returning
In all honesty, change (to at least the second unit) will be needed by that point in order to beat the best of the best when it matters most. Until then, though, the Clippers know what Blake Griffin means to them. Nothing is going to change that right now.