Diagnosing the Los Angeles Clippers' Poor Defensive Play so Far in 2014-15

Basketball strategy is comprised of reaction, movement and chemistry. One player makes a move, and the other four must adjust correspondingly.

This is especially true defensively, where five players react and defend like they are connected to a string. This has been the Los Angeles Clippers' biggest problem, as their defense has been disappointing and discombobulated.

The key to a good defense is each individual player knowing his rotations. The defense typically slants toward the ball, but when the ball is swung, each player must slide and recover across the floor. Seems simple enough, but when there is a defensive breakdown on the perimeter, or the ball is dropped off in the post, things can become hectic.

This is especially true about transition defense, the first point of attack. The Clippers have done a good job getting back defensively, as evidenced by their allowing the fifth-fewest points in transition this season, according to Team Rankings.

Doc Rivers' rebounding philosophy revolves around transition defense. He doesn't put an emphasis on crashing the offensive glass, instead encouraging two players to bail. As a result, the Clippers rank 28th in offensive rebounding percentage and total offensive rebounds, according to Basketball-Reference.com.

Although the Clippers are a good defensive team in transition, the schedule during the end of December did not do the team any favors. The team played six games in nine days and struggled to prevent teams from scoring in the open court.

During a December 27 loss to the Toronto Raptors, the transition defense was not up to par, as the Clippers gave up 16 fast-break points, six above their average. Although the team was able to send two players back to defend, the Raptors were able to press the team's tired legs into easy, open looks.

In the clip above, Blake Griffin commits a bad pass on a lob to DeAndre Jordan in transition. Griffin is slow to react to his turnover and unable to recover defensively. Meanwhile, Matt Barnes attempts to get back on defense, while Chris Paul looks gassed and gambles for a steal.

Greivis Vasquez leads the break as Amir Johnson trails and Terrence Ross darts toward the rim for an easy dunk. Defense is all about effort, and although the Clippers were surely tired, the effort was lacking, which quickly led to an easy two points.

Another reason the team defense was ugly throughout December: The Clippers had not practiced in weeks, according to Ben Bolch of the LA Times.

"

The Clippers have opted not to practice instead of resting players, holding their last official practice Dec. 11 in Washington. Rivers has said his team would stage its next session later this week.

The coach did admit one regret: not resting his starters more liberally Saturday during the Clippers' 110-98 loss to Toronto.

"

Another problem the team has had is defending small forwards. This has been a weakness for years, as the Clippers have not been able to find a quality wing who can defend the perimeter.

According to RotoWire, the Clippers allow opposing small forwards to score 20.0 points per game, the third-worst total in the entire league. Although Matt Barnes does a solid job defensively, he is not a perimeter stopper, and there is not another viable small forward on the roster.

Reggie Bullock has played sparingly and appears unable to earn Rivers' trust, Chris Douglas-Roberts has been bad all season long and Hedo Turkoglu is more of a power forward who has never been known for his defense.

The video above is a great example of how opposing teams continually gash the Clippers' small forwards.

Although DeMarre Carroll has been playing great with the Atlanta Hawks the past two seasons, he isn't exactly a threat to score like other small forwards the Clippers face, such as Rudy Gay and Kevin Durant.

In the video, the Clippers are caught in multiple mismatches. Jamal Crawford is playing small forward and matched on Al Horford in the weak corner. Paul is switched onto Carroll, while Griffin is forced to defend Jeff Teague.

Knowing they have multiple mismatches, Paul Millsap isolates DeAndre Jordan in the corner, pulling him out of the paint. Crawford, not known for his defense, is face guarding Horford, waiting for him to cut to the block and post up. Meanwhile, Kyle Korver, the league's deadliest shooter, sets a back screen on Paul.

J.J. Redick is unable to help off Korver in fear of leaving him open for three. Paul doesn't see the screen coming and is essentially eliminated from the play. As Carroll slashes to the rim, unguarded, the weak-side corner (Crawford) should sink down to knock Carroll off his cut.

Unfortunately, Crawford adheres to his defensive responsibilities and never sees the back screen on Paul, nor the Carroll cut, resulting in an easy layup. The Clippers have been unable to make those second and third rotations consistently, which is why they rank 15th in defensive rating, per Basketball-Reference.com.

Finally, the remaining symptom of the Clippers' poor defensive play: Jordan defending bigs who can shoot.

The Hawks are a unique team because their centers, Horford and Pero Antic, are threats to shoot from the elbow and out beyond the three-point line. Jordan struggled to defend Horford the entire game during their first meeting, just as he did against Millsap in the clip above.

The problem is that Jordan is uncomfortable defending outside of the paint. Even on the Clippers' pick-and-roll coverage, he will sink off the screen, near the paint, as the team attempts to "ice" ball screens. This means Jordan wants his defender on the ball to deny the screen, forcing the ball away from the action and into Jordan.

However, when defending players such as Millsap, Horford or Marc Gasol, Jordan must be aware of his man popping off the screen and shooting a mid-range jumper. Additionally, teams pull Jordan out of the paint by running their offense through his man at the elbow. This is part of the reason why the Clippers rank 21st in opponent's field-goal percentage at the rim, according to NBA.com.

Without Jordan in the paint to call out assignments, the team has failed to rotate, limiting dribble penetration and cutters. Players such as Marc Gasol and Horford have given him fits, as they pass to cutters when he plays up on them and shoot open jumpers when he sags off.

Combine Jordan's inability to defend outside of the paint with the rest of the team's poor defensive rotations, and it is easy to see why the team's defense is struggling.

While the Clippers lack the individual talent to be one of the better defensive units in the league, their team concept can lead to positive results. Unfortunately, that has not been the case this season, but it is something the team worked on once they returned to practice in January, as Griffin told NBA.com.

“Defensively just transition defense, defending the 3, defending the second and third effort, pick-and-roll, stuff like that," he said.

That about sums it up. The Clippers have a lot to work on before their defense allows them to compete for a title. Until then, the offense must carry the load.