Los Angeles Clippers: Biggest Areas of Concern for Next Season

As the 2012 NBA season winds down, it's time for the Los Angeles Clippers to map out their future, beginning with their plans for the 2013 season.

Now that the Chris Paul honeymoon period is over, the Clippers will have the unfamiliar burden of expectations weighing on them. How will the team respond?

Here is a look at five major concerns for the Clips heading into next season.

Big-Man Depth

Though the Clippers are blessed with one of the best under-25 big-man tandems in the league, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan need some help.

Last season the Clips signed Kenyon Martin and Reggie Evans to relieve their franchise building blocks and the two wily veterans proved their worth in the playoffs, providing a blend of toughness and energy that fueled L.A.'s second unit.

Both Martin and Evans are unrestricted free agents this offseason, however, leaving only 2011 second-round draft pick Trey Thompkins on the roster as a frontcourt reserve. 

The Clippers will most likely re-sign either Martin or Evans, and then look to fill the other's void with a cheaper option in free agency or in the draft.

Team Defense

Merely having Chris Paul on the roster ensures that the Clippers will have one of the most efficient offenses in the NBA.

The defense, on the other hand, can only be improved through a concerted effort by the team and a commitment to working hard and helping each other out.

While the Clippers only surrendered 95 points per game last season, a lot of the credit for that number went to their surprisingly slow style of play (only four teams in the league played slower than the Clips). After adjusting for pace, they were actually in the bottom half of the NBA in terms of defensive efficiency.

Much of their defensive troubles stemmed from their inability to defend without fouling. Only three teams let their opponents get to the line more than the Clippers. They also made 205 fewer free throws than their opposition.

A more disciplined approach will be needed in order to boost the team's defense into the league's elite.

Free-Throw Shooting

As a team, the Clippers shot just 68 percent from the free-throw line last season. Only Orlando (thanks to Dwight Howard) was worse.

This comes despite the fact that the Clips had four players shoot at least 86 percent from the line in 2012. However, their outstanding efforts were weighed down by the abysmal foul shooting of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.

L.A.'s frountcourt pairing combined to shoot a woeful 52 percent from the charity stripe. The biggest problem was that those two attempted 40 percent of the team's free throws in 2012. 

Giving away free points can come back to haunt any team in a close game, and the Clippers felt the sting of that with such a negative made free-throw differential. Their big guys need to stop hurting them so much at the line.

Shooting Guard

The Clippers played two-thirds of the entire season last year without a legitimate shooting guard on their roster.

L.A. finally traded for Nick Young at the deadline, but he played a bit role off the bench in his 22 regular-season appearances as he got acclimated to the team.

Unfortunately for the Clips, the three players who got starts at the 2 in 2012—Young, Chauncey Billups and Randy Foye—are all unrestricted free agents this summer.

The Clippers will have to scramble to either re-sign one of their former players or else go after one of the many other free-agent shooting guards who will be on the market.

Whatever route the Clippers choose to go, it is clear that they need to find someone who can be a consistent third scorer for them behind Chris Paul and Blake Griffin.

General Direction

It is unclear what direction the franchise is heading in. 

The architect of the best team in franchise history—former GM Neil Olshey—was allowed to walk away and take the same job in Portland.

On the other hand, the biggest obstacle to the Clippers' success—head coach Vinny Del Negro—was retained even though the team had the option to let him go and find the right coach to guide the Clips to the next level.

With such turmoil within the organization, who knows how it will affect the players on the roster.

Will Chris Paul, who is scheduled to hit free agency after the 2013 season, want to stick around?

Will Blake Griffin, who is eligible to receive his first contract extension this summer, want to commit to the franchise long term?

The next steps that the Clippers take as an organization will determine whether last year's team was just a flash in the pan, or the first of a string of legitimate NBA title contenders.