The LA Clippers have a ton of attributes that will carry them forward in the playoffs. An MVP-caliber superstar, several athletic wings, and a strong two-way scheme are present, just to name a few. However, in the four-point loss to the San Antonio Spurs, offensive rebounding was a major issue, and the team's lack of it overwhelmed its strengths, which will directly cause a downfall in a seven-game series.
For context, the Spurs recorded 52 total rebounds, and a shocking 22 of them were on the offensive side of the ball. That’s an embarrassing stat to look at if you’re the Clippers, and something that must be fixed.
The painful aspect about it is that most of them had nothing to do with the right place, right time; it was all effort, and going the extra mile. This matters in the playoffs, and if the Clippers don’t find a way to show it, they’ll be eliminated quickly.
The Clippers’ rebounding progression starts with the centers
Although crashing the glass and boxing out is a group effort, particularly on offense, the center rotation must be engaged first, as they are the tallest on the court. That did not happen versus the San Antonio Spurs, and that explains the loss that came down to the wire.
Brook Lopez had a whopping one board in 24 minutes, and Isaiah Jackson did the same in 17 minutes, in which neither were offensive. Based on these numbers, no impact was made on the glass for most of the game.
However, this has been an issue all season, and the coaching staff must put just as much emphasis on it as they do transition defense, ball movement, cutting, and communication.
In fact, the Clippers average 40.7 rebounds (second-worst), a sum of 9.5 (third-worst) offensive and 31.2 (fourth-worst) defensive.
To fix it, Lopez and Jackson must be involved more in the paint, showing the utmost aggression. Even if they are uncomfortable, they must improve, or else the Clippers will get wiped out by whoever they face in the first round.
Then, a stronger group effort will be developed; someone just has to put a foot down and lead by example, and it must be the starting seven-footer.
There is just no way the Clippers can expect to do any damage in a seven-game series, no matter how great Kawhi Leonard is, if there is no resistance in grabbing a hold of live balls.