LA Clippers: The key takeaways from NBA media day

The starting small forward spot is up for grabs

In the absence of Blake Griffin for 47 games last season, Luc Mbah a Moute became the starting small forward and was often accompanied by Paul Pierce at power forward. We could see a repeat with Luc next season if Doc opts for his reliable defense to support the starters again, but as of right now, nothing is final.

In fact, as Doc said at media day, per Dan Woike of the Orange County Register, the starting job is “wide open”:

"“It’s the first day. I think that job is wide open. I’d say Luc, Alan [Anderson], Wes [Johnson] would be the three, but we may go small. Like I said last year, and didn’t follow through on it, that position will change a lot. Last year, we ran a lot with the small lineup, three guards, and we may do that to start games.”"

Thanks to the signing of Alan Anderson on a minimum deal this summer, a player who’s switched between the two and three over the course of his career, the LA Clippers have even more options at small forward. There are benefits to each.

While Luc is unable to space the floor (there’s no hiding that it’s a real problem — 13 made threes all season is as bad as it sounds), he’s one of the Clippers’ best defenders and their best defensive small forward without question. If he starts, that’s something the team can rely on.

Wesley Johnson was a fairly streaky shooter last season, finishing the year 33.3 percent from three with most of his success coming from the corners. However, with the surprising defense he showed at times over the last year, he contributes at both ends of the floor.

Finally, it’s Alan Anderson, who Doc said (in addition to Luc) has spent time playing with the starters already. Anderson certainly isn’t as strong defensively as Luc and brings slightly less size at 6’6″, but Anderson has shot a far better 34.5 percent from three for his career and can attack fairly well when he needs to put the ball on the floor.

As someone who can space the floor to add an extra threat from three while Griffin and DeAndre Jordan are playing together, Anderson starting at small forward over Luc sounds like a possibility at this stage.

It all comes down to Doc’s experimentation as the season draws closer and what he wants coming off the bench: a needed scoring punch in Anderson, or defense only in Luc. Both have their pros and cons.