LA Clippers Roundtable: What has been most impressive so far?

An aggressive bench – By Nick Junker

They’re the gift that keeps on giving. My favorite part of the LA Clippers this season is the bench’s newfound aggression during games. This is due, in part, to the many different signings that occurred during the offseason.

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However, it is also due to the revitalized attitude the Clippers have played with. We’ve seen that slip in some of the games during the 6-6 stretch that followed the 14-2 start, but again on Tuesday night against the Denver Nuggets, the Clippers got back that aggressiveness in the absence of Blake Griffin.

Raymond Felton, Marreese Speights, Jamal Crawford and Austin Rivers provide the perfect nine-deep lineup for the playoffs and have given much needed rest during games this season. For instance, the starters didn’t have to play at all in the fourth quarter against the Nuggets.

People worried that defense would be sacrificed heavily with this lineup, and while that’s been the case more often recently, it’s been better than expected. Another positive thing to note is that Doc is now starting to play Wesley Johnson more, now that he’s starting to get back into his groove. With that said, the bench has a newfound identity that provides essential assets in scoring, some defense, and spacing with Speights.

Next: How Clippers must step up without Blake Griffin

Now that Blake Griffin is out for an extended period of time, it’s time for these guys to step up and prove why this bench can be a force to be reckoned with. It has been four or five seasons since the LA Clippers’ bench unit has been this good, and it shows the team’s focus on assembling depth to prepare for what could be a long (and hopefully healthy) playoff run.