Defensive minded
PG: Chris Paul, SG: Austin Rivers, SF: Luc Mbah a Moute, PF: Brandon Bass, C: DeAndre Jordan.
Chris Paul has been the NBA All-Defensive First Team point guard six times in his career, including last season.
DeAndre Jordan is a two-time reigning member of the same team, too.
Austin Rivers is a defensive pest, Mbah a Moute is an elite defender, and Bass is no slouch in that department, either.
This clip to show Bass’ pick-and-roll defense against Evan Turner, from our very own Mohammad Dakhil’s recent column, highlights just that:
This group is big, strong, intimidating (just look at Bass’ arms), and aggressive. They could shut down players at every position, imposing their will on the game. Paul also plays mind games with the best of them. That coupled with the frustration of struggling to score could lead this group to break down opponents mentally.
This group won’t be an offensive juggernaut, but they should still score effectively. They could run a watered down version of the high low pick-and-roll with Bass subbing in for Blake. And Rivers has steadily improved on offense since joining the Clips, even shooting 39 percent from three after the All-Star break last season.
Doc could go small with this group as well by subbing Redick in for Bass and sliding Rivers and Mbah a Moute down a spot.
Next, which small forward should join the starters to close win-or-lose situations?