Despite the high chances that the LA Clippers are a Play-In Tournament team, they firmly believe what’s on the roster can win the NBA Finals. The potential is evident, and with Kawhi Leonard at his peak, anything is possible. But there is a needed quality they don’t have that will hold them back, and it correlates with legitimate playmakers outside of Darius Garland.
Garland is excellent at facilitating the floor, getting others involved, and making plays for himself. Hence, he’s up to 6.9 assists per game as a Clipper, and just had 11 versus in a 14-point win versus the Milwaukee Bucks.
Who’s after Garland? One could argue Leonard, yet isn’t the objective to keep him engaged as a scorer? Sure, if trapped, he has proven that he can find the open man. This is not an issue, and it never has been.
On the contrary, his primary focus needs to be on getting buckets. He’s the team’s leading scorer for a reason, and for the Clippers to succeed, it must remain that way, meaning someone else must step up in the playmaking department.
Just having Darius Garland won’t be enough for LA in the playoffs
As great as Darius Garland is, the 26-year-old can only do so much. The LA Clippers’ lineups will thrive when he’s on the floor, shaking defenders and reading the passing lanes, but when he sits, they will not win minutes with the players they are expecting to step up.
Right now, signals point towards Kris Dunn filling in where applicable. In certain areas, like the two-man game with the big, catching the ball in the high-post, and a drive then kicking out, Dunn excels.
This is why he is tied for the second-highest assist average, at 3.6, on the current roster.
However, at the same time, if the Clippers’ next most reliable playmaker after Garland is Dunn, who can get played off the court like it’s nothing in the playoffs, then a notable problem exists.
While Dunn has improved as a three-point shooter, which is the area opponents like to expose him through, he was forced to the bench versus the Denver Nuggets last season, and there’s a world where it could happen again.
That said, all Tyronn Lue can do is max out Garland’s playing time and hope those around him don’t crumble when he is on the sidelines getting a breather.