The Los Angeles Clippers' roster is not short on defensive talent. Kris Dunn, Brook Lopez, Derrick Jones Jr, Nic Batum, Chris Paul, Kawhi Leonard, and Ivica Zubac all bring differing levels of defensive upside, but have all been at least solid defensively during their careers.
So why is the Clippers defense so rough right now? There are a few answers to that, but two jump out prominently; points off turnovers and second-chance points for opponents.
Last season, the Clippers were No. 2 in the league at limiting second-chance points. This year, they're No. 16, giving up more than 15 per game. But the biggest drop is the Clippers' inability to limit points off turnovers. Last year, they were also No. 15 in that regard (17.4 per game). So far this year, they're dead last, giving up 25 points per game off turnovers.
That's an eight-point difference in just one statistical category. The difference in defensive rating between last year's team and this year's team? 8.3 points. I feel like Jake Gyllenhaal when he pounded on Mark Ruffalo's door in Zodiac. We cracked the case, folks.
If you're wondering how the Clippers are giving up more points off turnovers than anyone else, it's not too complicated; they're turning the ball over more than anyone else. The Clips are also dead last in turnovers, coughing up the ball 18 times per game. Couple that with their second-slowest pace in the league, and the number looks even more brutal.
No matter how concerning those numbers are, we're extremely early in the season, so I don't want to permanently banish the Clippers' D to the shadow realm. But it's not an inspiring start for one of the best defensive teams in basketball a year ago.
What can Ty Lue do to sharpen this team up? Anything?
Ball movement might solve the Clips turnover problems
It might sound counterproductive, but I think the Clippers turnover woes may be solved by more passing. At the moment, this team holds the ball longer than any other team in the league (3.30 seconds per touch). That's not a huge surprise, as the team's best players are very isolation-focused scorers, but it does make defensive rotations easier for opponents.
In addition, the Clips take the third-most dribbles per touch. When the ball is being pounded into the ground, and passes are predictable, it makes life easier for teams to stay one step ahead of the Clips offense.
I don't want to tell a future Hall-of-Famer to change how he plays basketball — but maybe Ty Lue should. This offense was middling last year, and is a little worse to start this season, in large part because of the turnovers, and the turnovers are the biggest reason the defense is bad! It's all connected, so limiting the turnovers will limit the opposing points off turnovers, which will suddenly get the defense back on track.
In order to prevent those turnovers, Lue must get his team moving the ball. As long as the Clips remain in the basement of the league in stats like "most dribbles per touch," it's hard to see a path to improvement. And with more shooters and play finishers on this roster now than last year, the Clips don't need to be a one-man show. In fact, it's starting to look like they can't be if they want to fix some glaring early problems.