LA Clippers: 3 players who can take a step forward next season

No. 2 LA Clippers player who can take a step forward next season: Terance Mann

Terance Mann will take a step forward for the LA Clippers next year on offense, as Kawhi being absent will lead to more playing time, repetition, and chemistry in this offensive game plan for Mann.

I actually think Mann will see just as big of an improvement on defense for the young two-guard, however. In the postseason last year, where Mann really flourished, he had 10 steals in under 20 minutes of play per game.

When Kawhi was on the floor, both of Mann’s steals were off of bad passes. It’s still incredibly important and helpful that Mann positioned himself to intercept those, but without Kawhi on the floor, Mann forced himself to be more aggressive on defense.

Without Kawhi in the West semis and the Western Conference Finals, seven of Mann’s eight steals were off of Mann applying ball pressure on his man, and even sometimes players who he wasn’t guarding but who were nearby. Players he could swipe at the ball from.

This will be Mann’s defensive philosophy yet again next year because we don’t have Patrick Beverley anymore, who typically was the one aggressively pressuring the ball and creating turnovers that way. Lue will let Mann be more aggressive again next year because we don’t have Bev’s presence anymore.

Mann’s defense will easily be even better.