LA Clippers: Patrick Beverley’s Benefits #2 – Defense at the Point Guard Position
Let’s get to the obvious one: the LA Clippers don’t have many options for defense at the point guard position. They’ve been starting Reggie Jackson, who isn’t exactly putting up a wall on the defensive end.
Rajon Rondo is probably their second best option for defense at that position, perhaps alongside Terance Mann when he gets plugged in at the point.
When Bev comes back, the Clippers will be able to plug in a positive defender at point guard; in the pick and roll, Ivica Zubac will be left on an island far less often. The upgrade from Reggie to Bev at point guard will be huge on defense.
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The numbers back that up. The Clippers have a 112.9 defensive rating when Reggie is on the court compared to a 111.5 when he’s off; their defense is actually statistically better when Jackson is riding pine. To compare, the Clips have a 108.6 defensive rating when Bev is on the court compared to a 113.2 defensive rating when he’s off.
The number don’t lie, and they spell disaster for the Clippers on defense when Patrick Beverley is replaced by Reggie Jackson. Since the Clips will likely have to face at least some subset of Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum if they want to make a Finals push, defense at the point is going to be huge for them.
If Bev can stay healthy and stay on the floor throughout the playoffs, his defense will be a big contribution to the Clippers, and Clipper Nation has to be excited to bring him back into the fold.