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LA Clippers could boast league’s best defense with Patrick Beverley and Kawhi Leonard

By Garrett Chorpenning

TORONTO, CANADA - MAY 25: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors defends Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks during Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals on May 25, 2019 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Mark Blinch/NBAE via Getty Images)
TORONTO, CANADA - MAY 25: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the Toronto Raptors defends Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks during Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals on May 25, 2019 at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Mark Blinch/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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If the LA Clippers can land Kawhi Leonard and re-sign Patrick Beverley, the team will be on a fast track to having the league’s best defense.

We all know that the LA Clippers weren’t the best defensive team in 2018-2019, even though that seemed to be the focus when the season first began. With hard-nosed defenders like Patrick Beverley and Avery Bradley in the backcourt, the Clippers began the season tagged with a “Clamp City” mantra, which held true for the first 10 or so games.

After a while, though, it was Beverley who stood out as being the best defender on team — and Bradley didn’t even come close. The next best player on that list was probably either Montrezl Harrell or Danilo Gallinari, each of whom had very solid defensive seasons.

But regardless of who was the best and who wasn’t, the Clippers finished the season with some pretty poor defensive marks. Their 114.3 points allowed per game was the sixth-worst mark in the league, and their defensive rating of 111.5 also ranked in the bottom 10.

The main reason the Clippers were able to stay afloat this season was due to their shockingly good offense, which ranked in the top 10 for both points scored per game (115.1) and offensive rating (112.4). The bench was vital in lifting the Clippers as high up in the ranks as they were, as LA’s second unit averaged a league-best 53.4 points per game.

Moving forward though, it’s clear the Clippers would be a much improved team if they could add a defensive superstar and keep their other top defenders on the roster.

Enter Kawhi Leonard.

A two-time Defensive Player of the Year and five-time All-Defensive Teamer, Leonard is known around the league for being one of the best — if not the best — two-way players in today’s NBA. He’s also ranked in the top 20 in total steals almost every year he’s been in the league too, if you need any more evidence of how good a defender he is.

Leonard keeps players from scoring both on the perimeter and in the paint, and with a 7’3″ wingspan, he’s able to defend just about any player that comes at him.

He’s played particularly good defense in these playoffs so far, helping prevent players like Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo from doing too much for their respective teams.

Just look at Antetokounmpo’s averages throughout the playoffs compared to those when his team played Leonard and the Toronto Raptors. Through the first two rounds, the MVP favorite held averages of 27.4 points and 11.4 rebounds per game, while shooting over 52 percent from the floor. Against Toronto, though, Antetokounmpo recorded 22.7 points and 13.5 rebounds per game while shooting a lowly 44.8 percent from the floor.

Leonard helped make one of the league’s most dominant players look human — and alongside Beverley, it’s almost scary to imagine the kind of clamps the Clippers could put on opposing teams.

Next. Three positional needs if the Clippers land Kawhi Leonard. dark

And that’s just those two. If the LA Clippers do end up landing Leonard this summer and re-signing Beverley, I would expect them to go after a few other tough two-way players to double down on what could be the league’s best defense for next few seasons.

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