Clipperholics
Fansided

LA Clippers: 3 reasons Portland isn’t a threat in the first round

By Ryan Snellings

LA Clippers Paul George Damian Lillard (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
LA Clippers Paul George Damian Lillard (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 3
Next
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 06: The LA Clippers celebrate during a time out against the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center on April 06, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 06: The LA Clippers celebrate during a time out against the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center on April 06, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images) /

When the LA Clippers and Portland Trail Blazers square off for the third time this season on Tuesday night, fans may be getting a first round playoff preview.

As it currently stands, the Clippers sit in the third seed in the Western Conference while the Blazers sit at sixth. While there could be movement over the next couple of weeks, all signs point to the standings staying relatively the same meaning these two would square off to start the playoffs.

If the LA Clippers do match up with Portland in the first round, here are three reasons they shouldn’t worry.

Reason #1: The LA Clippers have better depth

We will go ahead and assume full health for both teams by the time the playoffs start. Both teams sport a duo of superstars but the LA Clippers just have more talent at spots 3-10. Even if they don’t go that deep in the postseason, Portland just doesn’t stack up. Let’s look at each team’s top 10 players even though neither team probably runs that deep in the postseason:

Portland Trail Blazers

  1. Damian Lillard
  2. CJ McCollum
  3. Norman Powell
  4. Robert Covington
  5. Jusuf Nurkic
  6. Carmelo Anthony
  7. Anfernee Simons
  8. Derrick Jones Jr.
  9. Enes Kanter
  10. Nassir Little

Portland has five players scoring in double digits this season (Lillard, McCollum, Powell, Anthony, Kanter). Obviously, the bulk of the scoring is handled by Lillard and McCollum who account for a combined 60.1% of the team’s usage. It’s no secret that defeating the Blazers means cutting off the two heads and letting the rest of the team try and make up the damage — more on that later though.

After the top five scorers on the roster, only four players average above 6.0 points per game. The others just don’t provide enough scoring on nights where Dame or CJ don’t have it.

LA Clippers

  1. Patrick Beverley
  2. Paul George
  3. Kawhi Leonard
  4. Marcus Morris Sr.
  5. Serge Ibaka
  6. Nicolas Batum
  7. Reggie Jackson
  8. Ivica Zubac
  9. Rajon Rondo
  10. Terance Mann

Similarly, the Clippers have five players scoring in double digits (Leonard, George, Morris, Ibaka, Jackson). While they, like Portland, have two superstars that see high usage (combined 58.8%), the role player scoring is much more balanced.

The Clippers have six players scoring over 6.0 points per game on their roster, including Luke Kennard who in all likelihood will be on the outside of the rotation looking in come playoff time.

Think about it that way.

While Portland probably isn’t getting enough scoring from their other guys, the Clippers are probably cutting a guy shooting 46.2% from three and averaging 8.1 points per game out of their rotation just because there aren’t enough minutes to go around. Depth just favors the Clips.

Home/Clippers News