With the acquisition of Reggie Jackson, we take a look at the LA Clippers ten-man rotation and what it will mean for opposing teams.
The LA Clippers are set to finally add a much-needed playmaker in guard Reggie Jackson. With his addition, the team only has one open roster spot remaining with which they will either add another buyout player or convert the contract of Amir Coffey. Even with this open roster spot still pending, we can get a good idea of the Clippers’ rotation for the remainder of the season and postseason.
Starters
- PG – Patrick Beverley
- SG – Paul George
- SF – Kawhi Leonard
- PF – Marcus Morris
- C – Ivica Zubac
This unit is what the Clippers will presumably run and should continue to be the starting lineup through the postseason. The only way I can possibly see this changing is if the team is matched up against Houston and Doc decides to roll with someone smaller and quicker than Zubac.
This group is a real threat on both ends of the court. George, Leonard, and Morris can all create their own shots and are capable of scoring at every level. Beverley is a knockdown spot-up shooter and has also shown to be very capable of converting floaters off the drive.
Zubac, the least talked about player in this unit, has shown great chemistry with Kawhi in the pick-and-roll and can be effective on offense without many touches.
Defensively, this unit is extremely switchable and will get after opponents.
Come postseason, we can expect the lineup to be even better given Kawhi’s ability to take his play to another level. He’s already averaging a career-high 27.2 points per game this season, so if he can bump that over 30 per game as he did last season for Toronto, this team will be very difficult to stop.
The only issue? This unit has not actually played any minutes together. Even if we don’t include Morris who was just added to the roster, the four-man lineup of Beverley, George, Leonard, and Zubac have played together for just 249 minutes over 18 games. They seem to work well together, posting a 10.8 net rating. That number isn’t eye-popping but the unit does seem effective.
Obviously, health is the key. Paul George and Patrick Beverley are both sidelined right now with hamstring and groin injuries respectively. The team has not put out a timetable for either’s return but we have to assume they will err on the side of caution. Getting those two healthy and on the court is a necessity for the postseason.