Getty LA Clippers guard Eric Bledsoe handles the ball during a game against the San Antonio Spurs.
Without question, the LA Clippers‘ biggest problem this season is one of availability. Serge Ibaka has missed extended time, Marcus Morris has done the same and Kawhi Leonard, the team’s alpha, may not play a game this season.
That said, missing players is far from the only problem facing Tyronn Lue’s club this season. Leonard-less though they may be, the Clippers are definitely underperforming with their 13-12 mark on the campaign. Or, rather, Clippers players not named Paul George are.
However, one analyst has an idea about what the team needs to do in order to maximize its potential.
In a piece seeking to identify the one flaw that each NBA squad needs to fix “before it gets too late,” Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley got straight to the point where the Clippers were concerned.
B/R: Clippers Need to Find Playmaking
As Buckley sees it, an overall lack of playmaking ability is the one thing the Clippers must address over all else. And given the team’s roster construction, as well as its on-court results through the quarter-point of the campaign, he’s probably dead-on.
Wrote Buckley:
Reggie Jackson’s best offensive attribute is scoring. Eric Bledsoe’s is…hmmm…defense? Even when Nicolas Batum was at his best, he did everything in complementary fashion. Terance Mann’s third-year leap hasn’t happened. Luke Kennard can get over his skis when he’s not catching and launching.
He’s not wrong, and it’s no wonder that George has so often been called upon to win games almost single-handedly for Los Angeles. Outside of him, the roster is largely devoid of ballers who are capable of taking the ball and generating offense for both themselves and others.
What the Clippers have instead is a bunch of players who really need the table to be set for them in order to be successful. Consequently, the team ranks 21st league-wide in assists per 100 possessions at 22.8.
When you have a pair of two-way superstars leading the charge, that can work. When everything falls on just George, though, it’s a recipe for problems. And it’s difficult to envision any of the Clippers’ rotational pieces experiencing a sudden playmaking evolution.
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Wall Pitched as an Answer to the Problem
So, if the answer to the Clippers’ playmaking problem is not currently on the roster, where can they go for outside help? For his part, Buckley pitched a popular name in trade chatter around the league in exiled Houston Rockets point-man John Wall.
Given the team’s cap situation, though, finding a way to get Wall to LA is no small task. Moreover, adding the five-time All-Star may not be the move that pushes the Clippers back into contention, regardless of what his reputation might be.
Added Buckley:
Wall finished last season tied for 293rd in FiveThirtyEight’s catch-all RAPTOR metric and gave the Rockets negative win shares. When he has emerged as a possible solution, you know the problem is dire.
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