As the 2016-17 NBA season draws closer, Doc Rivers has said that he wants his LA Clippers to set up their offense quicker and push the pace.
The LA Clippers‘ training camp is off to a good start. Blake Griffin is fully healthy and ready to start shooting more threes. Rookie Diamond Stone has impressed with his own three-point shot. The team is coming together, partly thanks to so much roster continuity carrying over from last season. And even the great Kevin Garnett stopped by on Thursday to participate and work one-to-one with Griffin and the rookies.
There’s been a lot to like, and head coach Doc Rivers has also shared some of his tactical changes as the 2016-17 approaches.
Dan Woike of the Orange County Register has reported what Doc had to say, revealing how the team intends to push the pace more often:
"“To think that we were seventh in the league in scoring and one of the last to get it across half court. We were playing with a low clock every single time down the floor. That doesn’t mean you have to play at a better pace – just start the offense sooner. The year before, we did that and we were No. 1 on offense. We have to get back to do that.“… We just have to trust the pass more, overall, as a whole group. And, we can’t stand as much. We do move the ball, but we don’t move bodies. We have to move both.”"
Along with Doc saying that he wants the team’s defensive rebounding to improve, this makes perfect sense.
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More stops means more opportunities to push the pace, to start the offense as soon as possible and pressure their opponents. The Clippers can be at their best when they play fast and don’t always operate at Chris Paul‘s sometimes clinical pace, instead opting for faster scores and explosive alley-oops with their big men in transition.
Even though Doc did say that he’s focussed on simply starting the offense quicker and seeing plenty of off-ball movement from his guys, increased defensive rebounding and the continuation of their improved pick-and-roll defense from last season (big men dropping back to protect the paint, rather than switching outside or trapping opponents at the three-point line) will help create more opportunity for fastbreak play, too.
If they get a stop and can break away quickly in space, a passer like Chris Paul isn’t going to neglect the possibility to fling the ball up court or hoist an alley-oop to Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan tearing towards the basket.
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The loss of Cole Aldrich‘s rim protection with the second unit is something the LA Clippers will sorely miss and there’ll likely be a drop off from 4th in defensive efficient because of it. But if they can still increase their defensive rebounding (Griffin’s return helps a great deal) we could see the team up the pace and up their offensive output because of it.