LA Clippers: Blake Griffin, Luc Mbah a Moute are an elite defensive duo
By Tom West
Luc for Defensive Player of the Year!
Ok, we’d better pump the breaks there a little bit. We’re only 14 games into the season. But the point is that Luc Mbah a Moute has been spectacular on defense to start this season, and he deserves some recognition for it. Potentially, if he maintains it (he likely will seeing as it’s the foundation of his game) and the Clippers are able to win nearly 60 games and rank in the top few teams defensively, Luc earning enough attention to make an All-Defensive team shouldn’t be out of the question.
Ahead of Blake Griffin, Luc ranks 3rd among all power forwards in Defensive Real Plus/Minus.
Partly because the Clippers’ starting five is their best defensive unit and partly because Luc is such a strong defender, L.A. allow a tremendous 15.5 fewer points per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor (a stifling total of just 89.6 points). Which, for some early season comparison, is lower than Chris Paul (14.1 fewer points) and only 0.1 behind the anchor that is DeAndre Jordan (15.6).
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Essentially, Luc has been really, really, really good. He can be used to defend point guards to help lighten the burden on Paul, and his ability to guard every position from one to four (and even switch onto some smaller fives) is so valuable.
Even though Luc has doubled his points per game from last season to six and has shot 40 percent from three (only eight makes, but five more and he’ll have passed last season’s total), it’s a level of consistent, aggressive, engaged and versatile defense that has allowed him to become the Clippers’ missing small forward.
Some of Luc’s persistent nature can be seen in the following play from a 116-92 win against the San Antonio Spurs in which Kawhi Leonard 3-of-13 from the floor and totalled only 14 points, thanks to Mbah a Moute.
Keeping Leonard firmly locked in his sights, Luc ensures a baseline fake can’t turn into a cut to send Leonard around a screen from Pau Gasol. After Leonard takes the ball right under the basket, Luc fights around the screen, contends him far too closely and forces a miss.
In the next sequence, you can gauge exactly how Luc plays defense.
As he continues to cover Leonard, accepting his nightly role of guarding the best wing scorer, he sticks within an arm’s reach of Leonard when moving off the ball around the three-point line. Once Leonard takes the ball at the top of the arc, Luc guards him tightly and stays with him perfectly on a drive inside, then reacts quickly to leap forward and contest a jumper as Leonard realized he wouldn’t be having an easy drive to the basket against Luc.
In the Clippers’ 111-80 win against the Portland Trail Blazers on November 9, Luc’s defense was a major reason why Damian Lillard struggled to shoot 1-of-10 from the floor for eight points, the only game of the season he’s scored less than 18. Two possessions are in the following clip, both showing how well Luc reads his opponents and uses his quick feet and length to cover attempts to penetrate the lane, even against an athletic, elite scoring point guard like Lillard.
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Luc not only defends many point guards and forces opponents to plummet below their season three-point percentage by 10.4 (all the way down to 25), but also holds players to just 44.1 percent shooting at the rim (per NBA.com).
On all field goal attempts, players are shooting a useless 34.1 percent against Luc so far this season. He’s been that good.
Such numbers sum up Luc Mbah a Moute’s defense in a nutshell. He knows his role with the LA Clippers and he delivers it perfectly, making his limited offense far less of an issue. Yet, in fairness to his offensive game, he’s provided a little more than just cutting this season. Any threat of him from three to keep his defender further from clogging the paint around Blake and Jordan is a win.
Next to improved defense from Griffin, Luc really does form a terrific forward duo to make the LA Clippers a force to be reckoned with defensively. Together, they play with energy, quickness, and guard and switch with clear intensity.
Next: How Austin Rivers can improve this season
Now that such play is part of the team’s identity along with the NBA’s 2nd ranked offense, Blake isn’t the only one who deserves attention.