What do the new backup bigs offer?
The loss of Cole Aldrich is big. His stellar production of 14.8 points, 13 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.1 steals and 3.1 blocks per 36 minutes last season, and especially his rim protection and hustle, will be sorely missed. He was the overlooked saviour of so many bench lineups last season, holding down the middle and receiving more minutes as the year went on.
This summer, he escaped the Clippers’ price range in free agency and they made a shift from rim protection to elevated floor spacing with Marreese Speights at backup center.
The preseason opener is an apt start for Speights, seeing as he has a chance to face his former team in his first game for the Clippers. For those of us watching, avoiding the rival nature of the game on the court itself, we can watch how Speights operates with the bench.
Speights’ new teammates have been impressed with his shooting and how he fires (and makes) jumpers to maintain his nickname “Mo Buckets,” but how the Clippers’ guards find him for good looks and how he holds up defensively (which is the major concern and likely failure, seeing as he’s a terrible defender) against the fastest, deadliest offensive team in the league is what we need to watch for.
Then there’s Brandon Bass, the player adding some size, depth, reliable mid-range shooting, solid defense, and intelligent, veteran play to the bench.
With his fit as a low-maintenance player who doesn’t need to make a bunch of shots to have an impact, Bass could wind up being next season’s Cole Aldrich as the underrated big who exceeds expectations. Whether Bass can start showing signs of that against the Warriors is something you need to keep an eye on, too.
Next, we need to pay attention to the rookie big men.