A lot of teams around the league, preparing for the postseason, whether it begins in the playoffs or the Play-In Tournament, don’t have a starting power forward and center that can let the rock fly from a distance at an efficient clip. Can the LA Clippers relate? No, and it’s a prominent advantage that could swing a series in their favor, as John Collins and Brook Lopez are elite three-point shooters.
The fact that the Clippers signed Brook Lopez, then, within the span of a few weeks, traded for John Collins, deserves more hype. This sequence is underrated beyond imagination, as looking back, it completely transformed Tyronn Lue’s frontcourt.
Not to mention, they are both effective in the paint and can hang with the best, giving Lue the utmost power to draw up the perfect game plan.
John Collins and Brook Lopez, side by side, bring a flawless offensive scheme
The biggest upside to having John Collins and Brook Lopez, who can both shoot the leather off the basketball, next to each other is that the entire floor opens up. There is just too much potential for success not to come to fruition on the biggest stage.
For reference, Collins(62 games) is up to 40.2% from beyond the arc, and Lopez(68 games) is not far off at 36.3%. There also aren’t any questions about their volume, as they’re both combining for 7.3 attempts per game, which is, by no means, a small figure.
With these splits in mind, one might wonder, how are the Clippers bound to prosper in the playoffs?
Well, logically speaking, life for an opponent is so much harder when they’re facing an entire starting lineup that can shoot. They simply cannot leave anyone open, as even the slightest gap could hurt them.
That’s not all, though; the secondary advantage of Collins and Lopez sharing the court is that the floor is opened up for Darius Garland and Kawhi Leonard, two of the team’s best isolation scorers, to go to work.
They can put all the pressure they’d like on the rim, and in the event they are trapped by a primary and help defender, a kick-out is the ultimate solution that would consistently work every time.
Additionally, Collins’ athletic ability is another conversation for another time that elevates LA’s odds through the roof.
So, with everything considered regarding Collins and Lopez, the Clippers are built to shine, and it’s thanks to Lawrence Frank’s offseason vision.