Takeaways from the LA Clippers’ preseason loss to the Trail Blazers

Milos’s defense may be an issue

Milos Teodosic is awesome. His game already has Clippers fans excited for the upcoming season and his passes have already resulted in numerous highlight plays just in the preseason. But Milos’s amazing offense has distracted fans from his defense. Teodosic had a great game offensively against the Trail Blazers, finally getting his shot going and scoring 15 points and knocking down four three-pointers. However, the backcourt of Teodosic and Beverley allowed Portland’s backcourt, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, to combine for 55 points. While not every NBA team has a dynamic duo of guards like the Trail Blazers, many teams in the Western Conference have backcourts with two excellent guards. The Rockets have Chris Paul and James Harden, the Warriors have Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, and the Timberwolves have a respectable backcourt in Jeff Teague and Jimmy Butler.

Until Milos gets into NBA shape (assuming this is part of the reason that he has struggled on defense) the Clippers are going to struggle defensively. Especially so if Doc Rivers chooses to start Teodosic. If he comes off of the bench, he is better matched against back up points guards but the starting lineup is left void of significant playmaking. This predicament is going to be one to keep an eye on and certainly won’t be solved just in preseason but will prove to be a vital decision for Rivers and the Clippers to make.