LA Clippers: 5 big questions for the 2016-17 NBA season
By Tom West
Can Mo’ Buckets outscore Jamal Crawford?
No one on the Clippers has shot well from three-point range to start this season except for Chris Paul. Raymond Felton has shot 66.7 percent so far, but with only six makes his sample is hardly worth paying much attention to. Paul, meanwhile, has been impressive, making 42.4 percent of his shots from beyond the arc with two makes a game.
Outside of these two point guards, it’s only J.J. Redick finding success. After a cold start, he’s find some rhythm over the last couple of games to reach 40.7 percent. Everyone else is in the twenties.
Jamal Crawford has never been a highly efficient scorer, but he’s going to be counted upon this season to provide some three-point punch and shot creation off the bench. He’s the only second unit guard the Clippers have that can truly create his own shot off the dribble, rather than leaning on drives such as Felton.
However, if we do see some signs of age from the NBA’s Benjamin Button that is Crawford, perhaps Marreese Speights will be able to capitalize as the Clippers’ new leading bench scorer.
For a start, Speights has always shown that he’s nothing but aggressive when entering the game. He won’t hesitate to fire in space, and thankfully he has the ability to be efficient in short bursts and provide spells of instant offense. He’s also been cool from three so far with one make a night at a 29.2 percent rate, but he’s going to find a lot of space when guys like Austin Rivers, Felton and Crawford are attacking inside to kick out, or he can be used well in the pick-and-pop, as we’ve seen at times already.
So far, in his 15.9 minutes per game, Speights is averaging 10.3 points. Translate that to his average per 36 minutes, and he’s at 23.8. Crawford, meanwhile, is ever so slightly ahead at 10.7.
It isn’t too hard to see Speights being aggressive enough and open enough to average around 11-12 points per game when his threes start falling, and if Crawford gives up some shots to let that happen, there’s a chance we could see Mo Buckets as the more productive spark plug. Even if that isn’t the case, his production is a vital part of the bench and the team’s success.