LA Clippers: 1 Advantage Over Each Potential 1st Round Team
LA Clippers Advantage Vs. the Dallas Mavericks: The Pick and Roll
The LA Clippers are going to have the opportunity to attack the Dallas Mavericks using the pick and roll. This is something the Clippers have feasted on all year, especially via the superstars.
Per NBA Stats, Kawhi Leonard is in the top 4.4% of all players in the league when it comes to scoring as the pick and roll ball handler. In fewer possessions, Paul George is in the top 6.1% as the screener in the pick and roll.
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The LA Clippers are a top 10 team in scoring off the pick and roll, and Dallas is going to give them the chance to exploit that. The Mavs are the second worst team in the league at defending the ball handler in the pick and roll, and they’re the 8th worst team in the league at defending the screener.
Those stats only incorporate plays that end with the pick and roll, not action that starts with a screen. So it’s hard to say exactly how often the LA Clippers are using screens against the Dallas Mavericks, but the answer is likely “not as often as they will in the playoffs.”
Allowing guys like Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to attack such a weak point of a defense is a recipe for success in the postseason. Playing against a team led by Luka Doncic is never easy, and I wouldn’t dream of insinuating as such.
The way you deal with playing against such a dynamite talent is by exploiting every advantage you can get. When the LA Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks face off, I expect the Clippers to be aggressive with their use of the pick and roll to attack that Mavs defense.