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LA Clippers’ loss to Philadelphia shows need for another big man

Ryan Snellings|
PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 11: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots the ball against Ivica Zubac #40 of the Los Angeles Clippers in the second quarter at the Wells Fargo Center on February 11, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Clippers 110-103. 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. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 11: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots the ball against Ivica Zubac #40 of the Los Angeles Clippers in the second quarter at the Wells Fargo Center on February 11, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 76ers defeated the Clippers 110-103. 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. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Tuesday night’s loss in Philadelphia, while not egregious, highlighted why the LA Clippers need to add another big man before the end of the season.

When I was brainstorming on how to frame this piece, my initial thoughts were “Oh, this will be easy. Ivica Zubac was great last night and it was felt when he was off the court and Montrezl Harrell was on”. Turns out, on the surface the stats for last night’s LA Clippers’ loss in Philadelphia don’t paint the same picture. Still, I stand by my feeling.

The LA Clippers need to add another big man.

About those stats. In terms of raw numbers, points scored on the Clippers when Zu and Trezz were on the court are pretty similar. The team gave up 46 points with Zubac on the floor and 48 with Trezz.

If we dive even further into defensive matchups, the numbers show that Joel Embiid absolutely demolished Zubac, scoring 16 of his team’s 28 points in 5:14 when guarded by Zu. Harrell, meanwhile, only allowed six to Embiid in 1:38.

Everything seems to point towards Zubac getting beat and Trezz being fine, right? Not necessarily. Look at this tweet from Justin Russo:

Percentage wise, the Sixers shot nearly the same whether or not Zubac was on the floor. It’s not always about that though. Look at how many more field goals Philadelphia attempted when Zu was not on the floor. It’s not a coincidence.

Having a big body in the paint is necessary for deterrence.

(As an aside: Yes, Zubac was in foul trouble last night which may have been a factor in Doc taking him out of the game. Many of us don’t agree with the decision to yank him with five fouls but we’ll save that for another time.)

The fact of the matter is the Clippers had no one else on their bench to match the size of Philadelphia. What happens in a seven game series against the Nuggets, the Lakers or even the Jazz?

This isn’t another piece saying Trezz shouldn’t play. While he’s not a great defender, he does provide a ton of offense. He’s just not growing anymore. There are times where rim deterrence is needed.

Here’s the problem. Have you looked at any of the potential buyout bigs? There isn’t exactly a ton of quality. John Henson might be the best bet. That’s not saying much. Had Tristan Thompson been bought out, I would feel a lot more confident.

At this point, it is what it is. While rim protection mattered in last night’s loss, it was far from the only factor. Josh Richardson got hot. Paul George and Lou Williams didn’t shoot well. If one of those things is different, the Clippers have a good shot at winning.

Even though we can’t pin this single loss on it, the Clippers need to sign another big man. If not, they could find themselves on the wrong side of a series this postseason.

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