The Los Angeles Clippers made four solid additions to their bench in NBA free agency this summer, but which signing is the most important to their 2016-17 campaign?
Generally speaking, the Los Angeles Clippers are “rolling it back” next season. Austin Rivers and Jamal Crawford both received over $35 million in free agency, Wesley Johnson and Luc Mbah a Moute are coming back, too, and even Paul Pierce seems set to come back for another year as old man truth.
Of course, the Big 3 has stayed intact as well, meaning Blake Griffin is returning and DeAndre Jordan is even bringing a gold medal back from the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
The band is staying together for what will be one of the most pivotal seasons in the history of the Los Angeles Clippers franchise. Both Griffin and Chris Paul can opt out to test free agency next year, and J.J. Redick‘s contract expiring in 2017 as well only adds to the possible changes that could drastically alter the team as we know it. Without a Western Conference Finals appearance, will they all have enough incentive to re-sign?
Well, at least there are four new faces coming to L.A. on veteran’s minimum contracts to help out however they can. There’s Brandon Bass, Raymond Felton and Alan Anderson, while Marreese Speights highlights the new bench in an exchange at backup center with Cole Aldrich, the gritty defensive backbone of the second unit.
Speights has the most important role to address as Aldrich is clearly the biggest loss of the summer, but just how do the new players rank against each other in terms of their ability, value, potential production, and importance to the Clippers?
Next: 4. The new backup power forward
4. Brandon Bass
Brandon Bass starting things off at No. 4 should be fairly expected. It can be argued that there’s little difference in terms of value and upcoming impact between he and Raymond Felton, especially with Austin Rivers still holding firm control of the second point guard spot behind Chris Paul.
Felton can still be a valuable contributor to the Clippers, though (for reasons we’ll get onto next), and the potential to develop a larger role in different lineups places Bass here. Who, as a traditional four, will have some of his minutes eaten into when Doc Rivers opts for small-ball lineups.
In terms of ability, role, playing time and general value, Bass seems most suited for fourth place. As one of the most veteran’s minimum likely candidates of the Clippers’ new signings, there’s still no denying that he’s bringing more experience, toughness and depth to a team that seriously lacked such traits in its frontcourt last season.
The drawback is that minutes will be limited, and a non-rim-protecting, mid-range-shooting big offers no new strengths than Speights.
Outside of Stone Cole Aldrich’s grittiness, a combination of small-ball fours after the woeful failure with Josh Smith ended filled out the Clippers’ rotation and operated as well as possible in the absence of Blake Griffin. To say they did things “well,” though, is another matter altogether, especially in regard to Paul Pierce after he started 38 games in the regular season.
This is primarily where Bass’ importance comes into play, whether Pierce retires or not.
To avoid wings holding down the power forward spot, surrendering size inside and damaging the Clippers’ rebounding even more (29th in rebounding rate last season), Bass helps immediately. As a capable enough defender at the four spot, a physical, energetic player, a better rebounder than any of the team’s wings (7.6 rebounds per 36 minutes last season), and a reliable mid-range/pick-and-pop shooter (45.5 percent from 16 feet to the arc for his career), Bass at the four provides more than respectable depth at a low price.
Next: 3. The new small forward
3. Alan Anderson
There isn’t much space between Bass at four and Alan Anderson at three on this list. If Anderson is used enough, that is.
Both Wesley Johnson and Luc Mbah a Moute are returning next season, and there’s a good chance Luc will retain his starting role thanks to his defense and hustle that was so valued in 2015-16. As for Johnson, coming off a 20.8 minutes per game season, he may experience a little more change now that Anderson has arrived.
Primarily, though, Clippers fans will be hoping that the signing of Anderson will further limit Paul Pierce. Because, as the latest reports on his decision indicate, it’s highly likely that Pierce will be returning to the Clippers for his 19th and surely final season in the NBA.
I don’t need to go into too much detail as to the issues with that. I’ve done so in a far more detailed column here, but the fact that he couldn’t be relied upon from three last season (31 percent) or anywhere else for that matter (career-worst 36.3 field goal percentage) and was such a liability as an aged defender pretty much sums up why another small forward was needed.
Anderson doesn’t necessarily fix the Clippers’ small forward situation or serve as an upgrade at the position. Instead — which is why Clippers fans can be pleased — he simply offers more depth as a superior option to Pierce. And for the minimum, there were hardly any better options than Anderson for the Clippers to pursue.
As a 34.5 percent three-point shooter for his career, Anderson isn’t the most prolific marksman the Clippers could have added this summer. The only remaining players on the team to shoot more than 34 percent from three last season are Chris Paul and J.J. Redick, so Anderson doesn’t turn around that weakness for the bench.
That being said, Anderson is reliable enough to play off the ball and pose far more threat than the likes of Mbah a Moute to balance out the shot creation of Jamal Crawford. Plus, with the capability to attack close outs and maintain high efficiency inside (64.2 percent within three feet for his career), Anderson generally fills the Clippers’ needs offensively.
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Anderson also has far more agility and intensity to help on defense than someone like Pierce, too. In fact, his on/off statistics are quite telling of a positive impact off the bench.
Teams scored 5.5 fewer points per 100 possessions against the Wizards last season when Anderson was on the floor. Although, 13 games is a tiny sample size. Even dating back to 2014-15, though, Anderson’s Brooklyn Nets allowed 6.7 less points per 100 possessions with him in the game.
The concern with Anderson — more so than a less than ideal three-point percentage — is his injury history. He played at least 74 games 2013-14 and 2014-15, but experienced some injuries in the earlier years of his career and only appeared in 13 games last season due to ankle issues.
However, providing he stays healthy, it’s easy to approve of the Anderson signing when the Clippers were so in need of depth (limiting Pierce) on the wing.
Next: 2. The new third point guard
2. Raymond Felton
Pablo Prigioni is heading back to the Houston Rockets. There were never any strong indications that the Clippers were keen in keeping him around, and it’s hardly a terrible loss, especially now that he’s 39 years old.
The best part about Prigioni was his sneakiness. The knack of snatching away inbounds passes and racking up steals at an alarming rate for a bench player nearing their 40s. That’s what Prigioni did, though, tallying eight steals in less than 15 minutes in a January game against the Miami Heat and averaging 2.3 per 36 minutes for the season.
He also helped set up the second unit and connected well with Cole Aldrich in pick-and-rolls, but age was really catching up with Prigioni as an on-ball defender and his lack of aggression on offense was concerning. He attempted a mere 6.4 field goals per 36 minutes, and his efficiency fell, too, as his three-point percentage hit a career-low 29.5.
To provide more assertiveness, youth (if you can try to call it that for a 32-year-old), and scoring spark off the bench, the Clippers have turned to Raymond Felton as their new third point guard.
In the areas mentioned, signing Felton for the minimum already makes him worthy of a high place on this list, even though he isn’t far ahead of Bass and Anderson.
With four minimum players, there’s no exactly a ton separating them.
With no Blake Griffin to help anchor the second unit for most of last season and streaky three-point shooters, the backup offense could easily stagnate and rely on too many threes or Jamal Crawford isolations. Sure, that allowed Crawford to win his record-breaking third Sixth Man of the Year award, but it didn’t allow the Clippers’ bench to be too diverse or efficient. At the very least, it would often fall on that man’s shoulders when a basket was needed.
There’s no denying that Felton’s playing time will be limited. That’s a given for the third point guard. However, while he may be behind Austin Rivers, Felton can allow Rivers to spend more time at shooting guard (pressure running the point still isn’t Rivers’ forte) and maintain capable playmaking at point guard himself.
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Last season, Felton recorded the lowest turnover percentage (13.7) of his career. Even as a non-prolific passer, he proved that he can stay well conditioned, start the offense, and provide his occasional scoring spark off the bench in Dallas.
Efficiency and three-point play is the obvious drawback that Clippers fans may be concerned with. He only shot 40.6 percent last season and a 28.2 percent stroke from three continued an underwhelming trend that has been the case for most of his career.
That being said, Felton finishes fairly strong inside (63.5 percent within three feet) and averaged 15 points per game on 46.4 percent shooting in the playoffs. He showed what he can do in key moments, which gave Mavericks fans another reason to enjoy his place on the team.
In Doc Rivers’ three-guard lineups, Felton can benefit from more space and alleviate some pressure from Rivers, along with more aggression and overall experience than Prigioni to be a solid backup point whenever he’s needed.
Next: 1. The three-point shooting, floor spacing center
1. Marreese Speights
Marreese Speights appearing as the crown jewel in the Los Angeles Clippers’ handful of summer signings shouldn’t be surprising.
It’s not just because of his level of skill and production in an age where three-point shooting bigs are desired by everyone either. With more importance to the Clippers than any of the team’s other signings, especially because he needs to attempt to fill the large shoes of Cole Aldrich, Speights’ value and need deservedly places him at the top of these rankings.
It all comes down to spacing. I’ve detailed the hit to the second unit’s interior here now that Aldrich is gone, so the need for Speights to be efficient and productive from range is key to him balancing out weaker rim protection with superior three-point play and ball movement. Aldrich ranked 4th in the NBA last season in defensive real-plus minus, which leaves a rather noticeable void around the basket.
A career-high 38.7 three-point stroke became a genuine feature of Speights’ game last season. Once he got the green light to fire from that range as 2016 progressed, he wound up making one per 36 minutes for the regular season and a slightly gaudy 3.2 for the playoffs at a 41.9 percent rate. Not bad for a backup center, right?
If he can show more as an option in the post who can create one-on-one at times with turnaround jumpers or bruising against mismatches (doing more is what Speights intends to do), even better.
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That’s the kind of play the Clippers are banking on Speights’ continuing in L.A. He doesn’t need to jack up threes endlessly and he shouldn’t. Flashbacks to Josh Smith (albeit a far worse shooter) aren’t wanted.
However, with a 45.5 percent stroke from between 16 feet and the arc and that newfound three-point success, Speights can stretch defenses in ways that Aldrich simply couldn’t with hook shots and the odd pick-and-roll.
As a pick-and-pop option, simple catch-and-shoot threat, and someone who can be a kick out shooter when Rivers and Crawford look to drive and draw defenders inside, Speights really can help offensively.
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He’s a solid rebounder, too. Maybe not quite on Aldrich’s level, but Speights can certainly help on the boards after averaging 10.3 rebounds per 36 minutes last season. Plus, as a strong body in the post and someone who at least blocked 1.5 shots per 36 minutes in 2015-16, Speights won’t be a complete liability on defense.
The issues arise when he’s draw away from the basket (‘Mo Buckets isn’t the most agile defender out there) or required to anchor a lineup, which is where Aldrich’s presence will really be missed next season. Speights simply can’t protect the rim like Aldrich.
Everything with Speights’ value to the Los Angeles Clippers comes down to offense. There’s no denying that going from someone who can barely hit a shot nearly 10 feet away to a genuine three-point threat is an upgrade, but how the perimeter defense and power forward rotation supports Speights to balance the second unit will be key.
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All things considered, though, in terms of his offensive importance, skill, production, and bargain price at just $1,403,611 next season, Speights has to top this list.