The LA Clippers have been put through the wringer where injuries are concerned this season. However, a lack of player availability may not be the only thing that keeps the club from building upon its success from last season.
Far too often, Paul George has been called upon to singlehandedly carry his club to wins. And while that strategy currently has the Clippers over .500, it’s no way to live over the course of an 82-game season. And getting people not named Kawhi Leonard back in the lineup probably isn’t going to be enough to right the ship.
Whether it’s doing something with Eric Bledsoe — who is averaging single digits as a scorer and shooting 39.1% from the floor and 22.4% from deep — or bolstering the second unit so Ty Lue doesn’t need steady minutes from the likes of Amir Coffey and Justise Winslow, there’s probably work to be done from a personnel standpoint.
To that end, Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley just served up three names as potential deadline acquisitions for the Clippers.
Jeremy Lamb
Buckley namechecked Jeremy Lamb as a player who could potentially bolster Los Angeles’ offensive firepower. And there’s definitely a case to be made for bringing him into the fold.
Although his minutes and overall numbers have declined with Indiana while he has battled injuries, Lamb is still just three years removed from putting up 15.3 points per game as a member of the Charlotte Hornets. And he’s found different ways to score in his new reality.
Lamb’s catch-and-shoot numbers have improved steadily in recent years. This season, nearly a third of his attempts have come as catch-and-shoot triples and he’s knocking them down at a 44.4% clip. He also continues to be solid from the mid-range.
On shot attempts between 10 and 19 feet from the basket, Lamb is 9-of-17 in 2021-22.
The 29-year-old former lottery pick isn’t as adept at finishing at the hoop as he once was, but his ability to score from other areas on the court could make him a nice outlet option or safety valve for George a la Luke Kennard, albeit on a lesser scale. Per 36 minutes, he’s actually scoring more points (19.8) than ever before.
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Tomas Satoransky & Josh Okogie
New Orleans Pelicans guard Tomas Satoransky and Minnesota Timberwolves forward Josh Okogie were the other two players that Buckley mentioned as potential targets.
For his part, Satoransky has been discussed previously as a possibility for the Clippers, and the hypothetical pairing is an intriguing one.
As it stands, Bledsoe and Reggie Jackson have been manning the backcourt for Lue, and both men are cut from the same cloth. They’re small-ish guards who each have a score-first mentality. Satoransky, meanwhile, is a 6-foot-7 ball-mover who can also knock down the occasional three in a pinch.
Offensively, he could make the backcourt less redundant while being what the Clippers had hoped they were getting when Milos Teodosic was brought in a few years ago. And his size could make him a more viable defensive option than the aforementioned.
As for Okogie, the 23-year-old brings little to the table from an offensive standpoint beyond getting a bucket or two here or there in transition. However, he has a high motor and strong defensive instincts, which could re-energize the Clippers’ front.
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