The LA Clippers went 2-2 in week three. How did that affect their power rankings?
The LA Clippers had a very up and down week, going 2-2. The two wins came against the Golden State Warriors and Chicago Bulls while the losses were to the San Antonio Spurs and a blown 22 point lead to the same Warriors they had beaten nights prior.
After sitting around the second or third spot in last week’s power rankings, how did this week change the Clippers standings?
ESPN Power Rankings: LA Clippers #2
Despite splitting the week, the LA Clippers don’t actually fall in ESPN’s power rankings and remain firmly in the two spot. ESPN makes note that this week was the first time in the young season that the team had their full roster available with Marcus Morris Sr. returning to the lineup, surprisingly as a reserve.
While the Clips didn’t drop, ESPN made note of how many three pointers they gave up this week, something we should watch moving forward.
"Ty Lue’s defense allowed Zach LaVine to drill 10 3-pointers, Stephen Curry to make nine and Patty Mills to bury eight in three of the past four games."
Bleacher Report Power Rankings: LA Clippers #3
The Clips dropped one spot on Bleacher Report’s rankings, coming in third behind the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. The two just had better weeks. Bleacher Report does bring up the team’s inability to score in the paint.
"Getting points in the paint has been really hard to come by for the Clips, as they are averaging just 39.3 points there. Some of that is a product of playing more spread out with more shooting bigs in the lineup."
This is something to keep an eye on. Do Paul George and Kawhi Leonard attack more as the season goes? Does Lou Williams finding his game up those numbers a bit? Does Ty Lue have Ibaka go down into the paint more often going forward? We’ll see. For now, the Clippers’ offense is working.
CBS Power Rankings: LA Clippers #9
Talk about a fall from grace. The Clippers drop six spots down to number nine for CBS. The drop seems to focus a lot on the team’s blown lead to Golden State, something that is happening not to just this team but around the league. While blowing leads like that should always be concerning, teams around the league are showing that this start to the season is unlike any other. Some are rusty having not played since March while others are tired having just finished last season in the past couple of months.
It’s a weird combination and we should see teams begin to figure things out and normalize in the coming weeks.
NBA.com Power Rankings: LA Clippers #6
On NBA.com, the Clippers also drop, albeit not as far. The biggest focus on this site is the inability of the bench that became apparent during the week. Luckily on Sunday, Ty Lue addressed this, staggering Lou Williams and Luke Kennard while also keeping Reggie Jackson on the bench.
The numbers for the Clips’ second unit have not been good but this change by Ty combined with Morris now as part of that unit should improve their stats.
It’s tough to say which site has it right with the real answer probably being somewhere in between. The LA Clippers have an easier schedule this week with games against New Orleans, at Sacramento, and then home for Indiana.