An analyst looking to evaluate the LA Clippers could pick out any five to ten random possessions this season, and easily draw the conclusion that their defense is horrendous. This is stunning for everyone trying to comprehend that, last season, which feels like just yesterday, with all the players who returned, the Clippers were top five.
In some cases, poor defense can simply be an issue of the wrong rotations mixed with the wrong players, or even dwindle to a big man that continuously falls asleep in coverage; however, the Clippers’ athleticism is a factor, and their lack of it.
A negative difference was evident when the player, who many consider neck-and-neck with John Collins for the most athletic on the team, suffered an injury.
Nonetheless, the Clippers have done a wonderful job of shocking the world in unexpected ways. No one knew a fall off like this could occur in such a broad category, particularly one side of the ball, yet LA proved that if there is a will, there is a way, which is worse, because a singular solution does not exist.
The LA Clippers will not improve defensively, even if they wanted to
Because the LA Clippers turned their scheme around in the summer, Tyronn Lue could give all of his best defenders a higher priority in the rotation, and they would still have a bottom-five defense. This is due to the fact that athleticism does not grow on trees.
Furthermore, the Clippers are shorthanded on players who can jump, yet last season, Derrick Jones Jr. was the lone player with some serious, notable bounce. Still, LA was unaffected and went on to have a winning season.
In terms of athleticism, the team has far too much immobility. This sums up all of the slow action, missed efforts in transition defense, and unusual pace relatively well.
The time of year when every Clippers fan places their hope is February, when countless trades will be going down. On the contrary, many should stop and think: how will LA’s defense progress in the matter of a few trades, when they had months in the offseason that seemingly did nothing?
That said, overcoming a major struggle as a team takes patience, and that will not happen amid a losing record. They could dismiss Lue and clean out the roster, but the defensive growth they want to see will still be on hold.