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
2 of 3
Next
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 06: Paul George #13 of the LA Clippers handles the ball defended by CJ McCollum #3 of 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: Paul George #13 of the LA Clippers handles the ball defended by CJ McCollum #3 of 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) /

Reason #2: Portland can’t stop Leonard nor George

If you look at Portland’s depth on the last side, you’ll notice a lack of solid wing defenders. Yes, Covington can be serviceable and the addition of Powell has definitely helped in that regard but outside of them, Portland doesn’t have anyone who can really stop Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.

Even against those two, both George and Leonard have traditionally thrived. Let’s look at their career stats against the two wing defenders they’ll likely face.

More from Clipperholics

  • Kawhi Leonard versus Robert Covington: 9 games, 27.7 points (49.4 FG%), 8.0 rebounds, 4.4 assists
  • Kawhi Leonard versus Norman Powell: 5 games, 24.4 points (52.8 FG%), 7.6 rebounds, 6.2 assists
  • Paul George versus Robert Covington: 13 games, 27.2 points (48.6 FG%), 7.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists
  • Paul George versus Norman Powell: 12 games, 23.3 points (44.8 FG%), 5.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists

From those stats, we can tell that Powell is going to fare better against either Clipper star but whichever one faces off against Covington should have a fairly decent time. There lies the problem for the Blazers. Sure, they might be able to slow one of the Clippers’ two stars down but the other shouldn’t have a hard time getting going which will then open up the court for the rest of the team.

There’s one other key factor at play here: Marcus Morris.

We know he’s a very capable scorer in the midst of one of the best three-point shooting seasons of not only his career but NBA history. His current 48.1 percent shooting from deep would put him in the top-20 of single-season three-point shooting. So who guards him?

Do the Blazers opt to put CJ McCollum, a solid defender, on one of the Clippers two stars, or do they try and play him on Morris? Regardless of the choice, the Clippers will have a big size advantage and Morris and Leonard could both take advantage in the post.

If Portland does go that route, do we really expect McCollum to lock down George? Well…

  • Paul George versus CJ McCollum: 16 games, 26.2 points (43.1 FG%), 6.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists

That doesn’t exactly inspire confidence for Portland, does it?

Home/Clippers News