Throughout the years, the LA Clippers were the team to examine in regard to scoring in isolation. This was how their entire system was formed, and LA’s front office did the roster no justice by adding flawed, pass-first point guards who had two jobs: keep one eye on the ball to prevent turnovers and use the other to feed Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
Leonard and George had little reason to object to this scheme, as they were paid with money and opportunity. This run had gone on year after year until James Harden was acquired, and would still likely be going on if the 11-time All-Star did not force himself out of Philadelphia.
Defensively, the Clippers’ weakness was coincidentally the same strategy used by Leonard and George, and that meant picking on isolation-weak defenders. Teams with star scorers loved going at Ivica Zubac because they noticed his feet were slower, and with success rates against him increasing, the opposing scouting report had the concept of placing the big man on an island when a bucket was needed.
Times eventually changed, and Zubac is not a defender that teams can square up against, one-on-one, and instantly guarantee themselves a two or three. In fact, Clippers fans would love for isolation-heavy scorers to try the All-Defensive big man, as the confidence in him thriving inside and outside the paint is unimaginably high.
This Clippers’ problem has been at rest for the last few seasons of Zubac’s career, but with the addition of John Collins, head coach Tyronn Lue will need an immediate answer based on statistics.
On paper, John Collins is a poor isolation defender, which will cause trouble if Tyronn Lue does not think fast
The LA Clippers have nothing to worry about with John Collins’ contributions offensively. He will fit right in with James Harden, and occasionally, the Wake Forest product will be instructed to score on his own, like he did with the Utah Jazz.
However, Tyronn Lue could have more sleepless nights than expected next season, as Collins was atrocious one-on-one with no help defense. Statistically, he was the second-worst in the NBA by allowing 1.13 points per isolation.
The Clippers cannot simply work with Collins during training camp and hope this problem is solved. Thus, Lue will have to use his strongest defenders to mask Collins’ flaws in isolation and hope opponents overlook this major weakness from one of LA’s most prominent offseason acquisitions.