While the LA Clippers has sputtered to a 2-7 record over their last 9 games, the main culprit of the skid has been their offense.
The LA Clippers‘ have certainly failed to live up to their “Clamp City” nickname so far this season. The team currently ranks 25th in Opponent’s Points Per Game and 19th in Defensive Rating. But, while their lackluster defense may get more of the spotlight during this current 2-6 slump, it is not the the most pressing issue the Clippers have to address.
In fact, the team has only given up about 3 more points per game during this stretch than they did during their impressive 9-1 run to close out November, which included five wins over current playoff teams. The Clippers offense, however, has become nearly unrecognizable.
During that 9-1 run, the Clippers were an offensive juggernaut. The team averaged a staggering 120.1 ppg on 47.3% shooting and 37% from three on 91 total field goal attempts per game. Since the start of December, however, the Clippers have averaged only 104.5 ppg while shooting 44.7% from the field and 34.8% from three on 83.9 field goal attempts per game.
The team has also turned the ball over 16.5 times per game, a nearly four turnover increase from the end of November. Just over 20% of the team’s field goal attempts have come within the last seven seconds of the shot clock, with the team shooting only 35% on those attempts. The team does not have the same flow that it did as it took the top spot in the Western Conference, having to fight harder and harder during each offensive possession.
The overall offensive stagnation has been felt most heavily by Tobias Harris and Montrezl Harrell, both of whom were integral to the teams success in November. Tobias had been averaging 22.7 points per game while shooting 54.2% from the field and 46.2% from deep during the 9-1 stretch. Over the last 8 games he has seen his point total drop to 18.9 while his percentages have dropped to 43.9% and 28.9% respectively.
Montrezl has seen a similar drop in production, going from 20.2 points per game to 12.1, while having his field goal percentage drop from 63.5% to 58.3%. He has also seen his free throw attempts per game cut in half, while his free throw percentage has nearly done the same, dropping from 65.1% to a ghastly 35%.
The team as a whole has seen their production fall due to a sudden inability to put the ball in the basket. A lot of the damage has come from the team struggling to make “open” shots. The team shot 42% on shots considered open (having a defender be more than four feet away at the time of the shot) during the stretch in November. In December, that percentage has dropped to 37.6%. When looking only at open three pointers, the drop off is more drastic, falling from 42% to 33.5%.
Some of this can simply be attributed to fatigue, as the team has played 8 games in 14 days, with only two of those games being played at home, one of which was the second game of a back-to-back. But, if the coaching staff and the players cannot figure out how to fix their leaking defense, the Clippers cannot afford to have an off night offensively.
During the month of December, those unfortunately have come far more often than not. The team has been held under 100 points 4 times already this month, which is something that hadn’t happened since opening night against the Nuggets.
The Clippers do have a great opportunity to get rested and back on track over their next month of games. They play 12 of their next 16 at home, with one of their “away” games being against the Lakers. If the Clippers are looking to keep pace with the rest of the incredibly tight Western Conference, they cannot afford another stretch like this one. Rediscovering their offensive dominance will be the first step to making sure that doesn’t happen.
Editor’s note: These numbers were prior to last night’s loss to the Portland Trailblazers