LA Clippers: 5 things we learned from L.A.’s preseason
By Tom West
Brandon Bass needs to step up defensively
Marreese Speights is a terrible defender. Unfortunately, there’s no way around that for the Clippers. He’s a strong body and can help a little more if he’s left under the basket, and his 10.3 rebounds per 36 minutes last season is solid enough, but he’s not a good defender by any means.
As a polar opposite to his offensive game, Speights is at his worst when he’s further away from the basket on defense. He rarely uses a low, energetic defensive stance, although he completely lacks the speed or lateral quickness to cut off drives to the basket and guard opponents at the perimeter, anyway.
As our own Mohammad Dakhil detailed in his recent article on Brandon Bass and Speights (which you need to check out if you haven’t already), Damian Lillard had an easy time blowing straight past Speights with a simple change of direction as if he wasn’t even there.
Forced into fouling and giving up two free throws rather than contesting the shot or holding Lillard away from the basket, Speights showed how much he can be abused off the dribble, especially when he switches onto smaller players and is attacked in the pick-and-roll.
This is where Bass is so crucial.
He isn’t the rim protector that Cole Aldrich was for the Clippers last season either and he’s a clear downgrade in that regard (and on the boards). That will need to be accepted from the bench. But Bass is still a slightly above average defender, particularly for a backup big who won’t be required to play major minutes anyway.
Bass shifts his feet far better than Speights and brings more intensity on defense. Despite being just 6’8″, Bass has a strong build and can hold his own in the post, bodying up against bigger opponents to the best of his ability and using his strength to hold opponents away from the paint whenever possible; completely unlike Speights, as you can see from that lowlight above.
Look at this play from Dakhil’s piece where Bass easily switches onto Evan Turner to cover a drive off a pick-and-roll. Bass shifts his feet back to match Turner, and when Turner stops, Bass is quick to move forward and contest to force a poor shot.
No, Bass won’t be rising up to protect the rim and anchoring the glass like Aldrich did. This change to the Clippers, far more than any other, is my biggest concern heading into the 2016-17 season.
That being said, as someone who can compete more away from the basket, cover pick-and-rolls and bring the kind of defensive energy and physicality that the Clippers’ bench has often lacked in the past (bar Stone Cole Aldrich), it’s clear how Bass will need to step up in this regard to help balance out lineups featuring him and Speights together. For more on this, check back into Dakhil’s article.
Going on from here, we’ve seen some super small lineups Doc has used and learned the limitations and weaknesses of such groups. Continue to see what you need to look out for.