Following a long 53 years of not entering the promised land, the New York Knicks have officially been crowned as NBA champions. The Knicks had a remarkable series against the San Antonio Spurs that ended relatively quickly, but their game five win, in particular, showed the LA Clippers exactly what they're missing: a mobile center rotation that is strong and can defend at a high level.
Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson absolutely shut down arguably the best big man in basketball, Victor Wembanyama, in the fourth by holding him to 1-5 shooting from the field, including 0-2 from beyond the arc.
Doing so forced guys like De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle to step up, and when they failed, the Knicks came away with the four-point win.
That said, if the Clippers hope to improve drastically next season, the frontcourt needs to be entirely revamped through the blueprint New York has put together.
The Clippers need to use the Knicks’ center rotation as an example when fixing theirs
Defensively, a center rotation doesn’t get much better than what the New York Knicks have. Karl-Anthony Towns, a starter who did a complete 180 on his narrative, is quick, agile, and excellent at locking down the paint. Then, behind Towns is Mitchell Robinson, one of the league’s better rim protectors, who is also above average in terms of the movement of his feet.
Put these two together, and you have a 1-2 punch that will have opposing big men shaking in their boots.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that Towns and Robinson aren’t just good defenders, but great on offense as well. In fact, they go perfectly together, as one can score at all three levels, while the other is a beast around the rim.
So, regarding the LA Clippers, the front office must aim to replicate what New York has in free agency or on the trade market this summer.
A few options they could look to add alongside Yanic Konan Niederhauser(when he returns) are Myles Turner of the Milwaukee Bucks, Robert Williams of the Portland Trail Blazers, and Daniel Gafford of the Dallas Mavericks.
All three have similar strengths to New York’s front court and would instantly elevate the Clippers’ production from last season due to the fact that they’re younger and capable of going above and beyond.
Tyronn Lue didn’t have these characteristics when Brook Lopez was running the show, and as a result, the season ended much earlier than expected.
Add us as a preferred source on Google