Although it would hurt the LA Clippers’ pockets to have Brook Lopez, who soaked up a majority of the mid-level exception, sitting on the bench, this may be the best solution, as his slower style of play is taking a heavy toll on the team. Instead, the Clippers are wishing they had not stolen Lopez away from the Los Angeles Lakers’ radar, as they were heavily interested in paying the one-time All-Star.
Moreover, the Clippers are realizing that the Milwaukee Bucks did not get enough credit for how they made use of Lopez. It could have been Giannis Antetokounmpo’s greatness, or Doc Rivers’ system, but either way, head coach Tyronn Lue simply cannot figure out what the key is to unlocking last season’s version of him.
In fact, aside from James Harden and Nicolas Batum, every two-man lineup involving Lopez for at least 60 minutes has a negative net rating. This suggests that Lue should make a switch at backup center 14 games deep, benching Lopez indefinitely.
Tyronn Lue’s answer for the Clippers’ backup center is on the reserve list
The LA Clippers are extremely lucky to even have another backup center in their back pocket in Yanic Konan Niederhauser, as they could have put all their eggs in one basket through the mid-level exception and assumed off the bat that Brook Lopez would not disappoint with a fully guaranteed contract in his name.
In 14 games, he has posted 6.6 points and 2.2 rebounds, shooting 42.3% from the field. Each is a career low, turning the eye test takeaways into facts, as Tyronn Lue has received the absolute worst Lopez has been as a professional basketball player.
Thus, because Lue has already changed parts of his game plan into a scheme that incorporates more youth, he might as well do the same for the center rotation and have Niederhauser on the second unit for Lopez.
Furthermore, the rookie center from Penn State did phenomenal in the preseason finale against the Golden State Warriors, recording 13 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. In his regular-season minutes, Niederhauser has been solid, scoring 19 points in 22 minutes, shooting 7-8 from the field.
There is no guarantee he will perform better, but he will move faster and show more athleticism in the paint. Therefore, it is worth a try, as it is essentially impossible for the Clippers’ center minutes to get worse than what Lopez has produced.