Clipperholics
Fansided

Grading the LA Clippers at the halfway point of the season

By Ryan Snellings

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 19: A view of the court at Staples Center during the game between the LA Clippers and the Houston Rockets on December 19, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. 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 Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 19: A view of the court at Staples Center during the game between the LA Clippers and the Houston Rockets on December 19, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. 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 Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images /

Lou Williams

RS: Next, we’ll talk about another two guys that go hand in hand, Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell. Let’s hit Lou first.

LS: The underground goat is a solid B, you know what you are getting out of him every night and while he has had a small stretch where it wasn’t falling he can make up for those misses in one game. He is either going to go off or might have a quiet bad night shooting

SK: I think a B- so far? He’ll never stop hitting shots, and Lou going left is unstoppable. But it’s hard to go much higher for a guy with that kind of defense. Teams can just target him on switches.

RS: The defense concerns me as well, especially when he is part of that finishing lineup. Then again, I’m scared to talk negatively about Lou at this point so I’ll keep my mouth shut.

AR: Lou Williams, can never disappoint me. He gets graded an A-. He is an essential key part of this core group. Being able to get a win for us any game night with just one key shot. However, his defense gets torched a lot on the other end and can always use improvement. At the same time, Lou Williams remains one of the toughest players to guard. According to Kevin Durant, and I’m sure most players would agree. That alone is huge and I would not change that about him.

LS: You know what you are getting with his defense but in closing, you need his buckets. He is clutch and having more clutch shooters is only a good thing. The team defense will have to cover.

CW: Don’t get me wrong, I love Lou and what he’s done for the team in his first two seasons with us. However, he is not the same player this year. A drop off in productivity and efficiency could be tied to his aging or being the third option. His turnovers have been inexcusable, his defense is awful, and his shooting percentages were an eyesore until recently. I’ll give him a B- as a fan of him and the team, but I expect better and would not be opposed to seeing what other teams would be willing to give up for him.

SK: With Lou off the court, the clips have a top 3 defensive rating. With him on, that drops to 14th. That’ll be tough come playoff time.

MC: I love Lou, but I’d have to give a B- as well. He scores with the best of them and can pretty much be depended on to hit whatever big shot you need him to. He also gets into lackadaisical spells and can be so careless with the ball. And the poor defense is just a constant, be it due to his size or lack of effort, its effect is tough to ignore sometimes. It just is what it is at this point. I still think he’s a very important member of this team. I do also think that him getting more time with Zubac (or just a strong defensive big in general) would mitigate the effects of some of his defensive struggles.

SK: That’s true Matt. Doc hasn’t done a ton of favors for Lou’s defense by typically pairing him with Trezz at center, who isn’t a big-time rim protector.

LS: He’s a great insurance plan if something happens to Paul or Kawhi, Lou is a role player so you know what you are getting.

SK: That’s true Leo. And having someone who can create a decent look on demand is a huge luxury.

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