There are only 20 games left, counting tonight, until the playoffs start, and the LA Clippers are starting to round into form. We’ve seen more playoff-level basketball from the good guys lately than we saw for much of the first half of the season.
That said, there are still unknowns to be ironed out before the postseason starts, and Ty Lue is certainly still figuring out some aspects of playoffs LA Clippers basketball.
Here are 3 big questions for the LA Clippers as the postseason approaches.
Having three big questions is very nice compared to where we were before the All-Star Break, when I probably could have written a “20 big questions we have for the LA Clippers” piece. We’re on the way up, but we’re not quite to the top yet!
Let’s get started with our very first question:
LA Clippers Big Question #1: What’s the Center Rotation in the Playoffs?
The LA Clippers are going to have to figure out their big man rotation as the postseason gets closer. The big question combines both “who plays?” and “what minutes does everyone play?”
DeMarcus Cousins is on a 10-day contract with the LA Clippers, and so far he’s shown enough to be encouraging as an emergency third center. Does he see some intentional run in the playoffs, outside of filling in for a center in foul trouble? Assuming Cousins stays with the team through the season, Lue has 20 more games to figure out where Boogie fits in.
But it’s not just “will Boogie play?” Ever since Serge Ibaka went down and Ivica Zubac took over the starting job, the LA Clippers have been playing their best basketball of the season. That’s going to lead to some difficult decisions having to be made.
When the games matter the most, does Lue send Zubac back to the bench, despite the run of great games? Or does Ibaka, who was ostensibly brought in to take on the starting role, take a backseat to the young gun and help anchor the second unit on defense?
There are pros and cons to either direction, but the LA Clippers can’t pick both. It will be very interesting to see if the Clippers go with Zu or Serge as the starting center, and whether DeMarcus Cousins gets any regular meaningful minutes in the playoffs.