Coming off another disappointing 30+ point loss to an underwhelming team in the New Orleans Pelicans on March 14th, the LA Clippers needed two wins against the Dallas Mavericks to regain some consistency. Instead, the Clippers displayed more confusing performances as they won the first game on Monday 109-99 but then lose 105-89 two nights later. The lack of consistency in their performance continues to loom over the Clippers.
It is difficult, however, to fully address the huge concerns with the LA Clippers as injuries and lack of certain playstyle hold them from their full capabilities on the court.
With point guard Patrick Beverley out for the three-game road trip, the Clippers knew they would not be able to stop Mavericks shooting guard Luka Doncic on many scoring opportunities. After an off night of 25 points (shooting 9-of-23 and 4-of-11 from the three-point arc) on Monday, Doncic scored 42 points (shooting 16-of-28 and 6-of-11 from the three-point arc) on Wednesday. Without Beverley, the Clippers were left to constantly switch out defenders on Doncic. Those defenders were point guard Reggie Jackson, shooting guard/small forward Paul George, and power forward Nicolas Batum.
The Clippers shot well in their first game against the Mavericks by shooting 50% of their shots (43-of-86) and 43.8% (14-of-32) from behind the three-point arc. Batum, shooting guard Lou Williams, and George were the main playmakers from behind the three-point arc. Small forward Kawhi Leonard, power forward Marcus Marris Sr., and center Ivica Zubac were the players that were able to drive efficiency into the paint. Their offensive efficiency was created by great setups and passes in their first game. That same aggressiveness in their passing and setting up plays seemed to be missing on Wednesday.
The Clippers were for forcing their shots on Wednesday as they shot 42% from field goals (37-of-88) and 28.1% (9-of-32) from the three-point arc. Leonard, Morris, and Williams were shooting cold on Wednesday as they combined for 39 points shooting 16-for-45 in field goals. These are players that are the main providers of the Clippers’ offense. It Paul George that had a solid shooting night of 28 points (10-of-20 in field goals and 5-of-8 from the three-point arc). The bench combined for a total of nine points.
The Clippers brought Morris back in the starting lineup mostly to give them another impactful scorer. This was mostly since Batum was dropping in productivity on both ends of the court. Jackson’s defensive efficiency continues to be a problem with the Clippers, especially with Beverley. Williams has great moments but then loses steam in games where he is needed to create a spark for the bench.
There are big concerns currently for the Clippers; health and consistency. The Clippers cannot be hot in one game then cold in another without some serious adjustments. Relying too much on the three-pointers can stagnant an offense. At the same time, health is another huge issue for the Clippers as they have only played 24 games with full five starters (with Batum as the starting power forward). The Clippers are 14-5 with all their starters playing. Chemistry on-and-off the court is not the problem as it is the matter of how the team can adjust to the challenges.
Some of the problems could be addressed before the NBA Trade Deadline on March 25th especially now since they are done with their road trip. An offensive-minded point guard continues to be the position that many fans want on their wish list. This could solve some offensive standstills in their shooting and ability to drive to the rim, which was shut down on Wednesday. This could also ruin some of the chemistry previously developed especially if more than one role or featured players are used in the trade.
Hanich Panic meter: 5.5
Most of the problems on the offensive and defensive ends of the court are issues that can be addressed right now. There is not a major trade for a key player that can fix their issues immediately. If they do make a win-now trade, they will have to be smart in what they give up, specifically without a first-round pick to trade away.
For them to gain some consistency, each of the players and coaches have to fix their own style of preparation and play. They will have more difficult games down the stretch, but they will have the opportunity for a fresh start when they host the Charlotte Hornets on Saturday.