LA Clippers: Examining the rotation with the Reggie Jackson signing
Bench
- PG – Reggie Jackson
- SG – Lou Williams
- SF – Landry Shamet
- PF – JaMychal Green
- C – Montrezl Harrell
Just looking at that list it’s easy to see why the Clippers are so feared. The second unit features a point guard capable of scoring at any level, a sharpshooter, two Sixth Man of the Year candidates, and a floor-spacing big. Pretty great, right?
With the addition of Jackson, this unit gets the much-needed playmaking it has lacked. Too much of that duty had fallen on Lou Williams who should now be able to focus on what he does best: scoring.
Jackson adds someone who can facilitate for this unit but also can space the floor as a spot-up shooter. He’s converted on 39.5% of his catch and shoot three-point attempts this season which makes him enough of a threat. Compared to the likes of Jerome Robinson and Terance Mann who have been playing with the second unit prior to Jackson’s acquisition, this unit got a huge upgrade.
Defenses could essentially ignore either of those young players and send extra help towards the Lou Will/Trezz pick-and-roll. Now with the floor spacing provided by Jackson, Shamet, and Green, teams will have to pick their poison.
Shamet is obviously the biggest benefactor of teams focusing on the pick-and-roll tandem. He hits an astounding 42.1% of his 5.0 catch and shoot attempts per game. If he has space, the other team will most likely pay. JaMychal Green has regressed some in this area, converting on just 36.6% of his catch and shoot opportunities. Compared to last year’s 42.0% with the Clippers, he will need to find a way to get back in rhythm.
Lou and (more so) Trezz will just have to keep their heads up and find the open shooters. Lou has a 29.8% assist percentage which actually leads the team but Trezz only boasts a 10.4%. His passing as the roll man could use some improvement but if he is able to find the open man when teams crash down on him, this second unit could seriously light opposing benches up.
The bench goes as Lou and Trezz do. They may not be as effective of a duo as they were last season but they are both still producing at a high level. As long as they are playing hard, the second unit is in good hands.