After dropping what should have been an easy win in Phoenix, the LA Clippers look to bounce back at home versus the Charlotte Hornets.
The LA Clippers really lost to the Phoenix Suns on Saturday. That’s not a knock on Phoenix, but a testament to how high we all were on this team after wins against two rivals to open up the season (That Warriors’ victory is looking less impressive, to be fair). While the loss to the Suns on Saturday may have been a good ego check, tonight’s game versus Charlotte will be a glimpse into how this team recovers from adversity. If it’s anything like last season, the team should be fine.
The Charlotte Hornets enter the game sitting at 1-2, their lone victory coming in surprising fashion on opening night in a one-point thriller against the Bulls. They are also on the second game of the Staples Center back-to-back, having lost to the Lakers yesterday 120-101.
What can we expect tonight? Here are three things to watch for.
1. Defensive identity
When Kawhi Leonard and Paul George signed with the Clippers this summer, thoughts of lockdown defense danced in our heads. No, we haven’t seen the final iteration of this team’s defense just yet, but what we have seen so far isn’t all we expected it to be.
Through three games, the team is 26th in defensive rating. They are giving up 118 points per game, good enough for just 22nd in the league. A big part of that problem is the three-point defense. The Clips have given up the sixth most three-point attempts per game. With Kawhi, Patrick Beverley, Maurice Harkless and Landry Shamet all on the court, there is no reason the team should be allowing that many attempts. Safe to say, this isn’t what we thought.
After the loss on Saturday, videos cropped up on Twitter and Reddit of Kawhi Leonard showing frustration on the defensive end with Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell. There was miscommunication, switches not happening at the right times and just lackadaisical efforts at points. It happens, even to elite teams.
What doesn’t happen to elite teams, though, is this occurring on a nightly basis. Lou isn’t a renowned defender by any stretch of the imagination, but he has been in Doc Rivers‘ system long enough to not make these mistakes consistently. The same goes for Trezz. The game against Phoenix looks to be just part of the team’s growing pains as they figure out how to play with each other.
Tonight, expect a much more focused effort as the team tries to shore up the defensive side of the ball.
2. Kawhi’s Minute Restriction
Well, after being told time and time again during the offseason that he wouldn’t have any sort of restriction this season, Kawhi Leonard was pulled during crunch time of Saturday’s game.
*Maury voice* The lie detector determined THAT was a lie!
Leonard will be on a sort of a minutes restriction – one that likely won’t cause issues too often but could if games remain close. According to Jovan Buha, the Clippers are planning on keeping Kawhi around 30-35 minutes per game.
This doesn’t look like it will be a hard rule, but it will be interesting to see if the team tries to pull him a little bit earlier tonight if they are up big.
Tonight doesn’t seem like the type of game that Kawhi is going to need to play a ton of minutes. There’s a world where the Clippers could have this blown open and we only see Kawhi in around 20 minutes, similar to what happened in his 21 minutes outing versus the Warriors. Even though it doesn’t affect tonight, it is something we will continue to monitor throughout the year.
3. Landry Shamet’s Shooting
One noticeable absence from the Clippers’ games thus far is Landry Shamet’s shooting. Yes, he hit three of four in the Golden State victory, but it doesn’t quite feel like he’s clicking at his top gear just yet.
Shamet struggled to shoot in the preseason and he hasn’t had the same chemistry with Kawhi that other players seem to have so far. Tonight against a very weak Charlotte team though, it could finally be Sham’s time to shine.
Doc has to know that if he can get Shamet going early, there will be a lot less pressure on Kawhi. Expect the first few possessions to be drawn up with a focus on getting Landry open. After going 1 of 6 from three-point territory last outing, a good bounce-back game against a weak defense is just what the doctor ordered.
As we saw in the first two games, even if the other starters are on the bench, Doc will keep Sham in with the young guys. I expect to see a lot of him on the court tonight and to have his first big game of the season.
As always, follow along with us on Twitter for live reactions as we watch the game on Fox Sports West and NBA TV. Make sure to check back here tomorrow for our breakdown of everything we learned from the game!