Could Chris Douglas-Roberts Be Dark-Horse Small Forward Answer for LA Clippers?
Chris Douglas-Roberts and the Los Angeles Clippers sort of need each other.
The player, a 27-year-old journeyman who’s drifted in and out of the NBA since first entering it as a 40th overall draft pick in 2008, is coming off a statistically unimpressive breakout season with the Charlotte Hornets.
Douglas-Roberts did not post career-high per-game numbers last season. He wasn’t the third-, fourth- or fifth-most important player on his own team, and he didn't score a single point in nine of the 49 games he took the floor.
But the latter half of that campaign was far and away the most significant stretch of Douglas-Roberts’ pertinacious career.
He grew into one of Charlotte’s most efficient players, specializing as a three-point marksman who seamlessly fit in as a noticeable cog for one of the league’s more consistent defensive units. And for this, the Clippers, a team with championship-or-bust expectations, snatched him up on a one-year, league-minimum contract.
Los Angeles is already loaded on the wing (Reggie Bullock, Matt Barnes, C.J. Wilcox, J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford all figure to see time on the perimeter), but the 6’7” Douglas-Roberts may provide the defensive effort and three-point shooting that just hasn’t materialized for Los Angeles on a consistent basis. He can really help.
In a September interview with The Source, Douglas-Roberts spoke about a recent conversation he had with Clippers head coach Doc Rivers and what is expected from him this season:
"I spoke to Doc. Doc believes in me. He told me how underrated he felt I was. He couldn’t understand why my journey has been so rough but none of it matters now. He said he picked me and wanted me in LA. It feels great to be wanted by a team of this caliber. He wants me to be aggressive on both ends of the floor. Be that wing player/defender that he sees me as. He told me their goal is a championship and I’m definitely with it.
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If you can consistently knock down a deep open shot, have especially long arms and the slightest hint of athleticism/defensive awareness, well, just about every team in the league is interested. Douglas-Roberts embraced the three ball last season, shooting 38.6 percent on nearly five attempts per 36 minutes (just over 50 percent of his total shot attempts).
It was an effective and trustworthy—albeit seldom used—element in the Hornets’ attack, and it allowed him to showcase a new, transformative skill. In his first two seasons, nine out of every 10 shot attempts came inside the three-point line. The Clippers are paying Douglas-Roberts to make sure that version of himself permanently stays in the past.
Unlike when he was a super-efficient scoring machine alongside Derrick Rose at the University of Memphis, Douglas-Roberts has never been great at attacking NBA defenses by himself. He rarely lived outside Charlotte’s offensive system last season, proving isolation isn’t really his thing. Neither is creating for others, as his 2.6 assists per 100 possessions suggests.
All this is fine, though. The first thing a role player needs to do is find his role, and Douglas-Roberts finally discovered one he can thrive in. Synergy Sports (subscription required) listed Douglas-Roberts as the 10th-most efficient player in the league last season. He impacted Charlotte's offense by knocking down spot-up shots, running the floor, filling lanes and attacking the basket in transition.
In his first and only 70 minutes experiencing the playoffs, Douglas-Roberts posted an impressive 68.8/50/85.7 shooting line. That accompanied an 18.9 player efficiency rating and 85.7 true shooting percentage.
The sample size here is tiny (he only attempted eight threes), but coming against the then-two-time defending world champion Miami Heat, Douglas-Roberts showed he can handle competing against the best of the best on a stage that matters, which is necessary on the title-contending Clippers.
Elsewhere, Douglas-Roberts is also a committed defender. He genuinely cares and hustles, putting forth maximum effort on a possession-by-possession basis. Three-point shooting is great, but this is one area where he has the potential to separate himself from L.A.'s other wings and crack Rivers' starting lineup. Aside from Barnes, who's 33 years old and slipping on both ends, Los Angeles has no above-average perimeter defenders.
The tools and physical dimensions are there for Douglas-Roberts to become one, and he's already shown he can be especially effective chasing his man through a maze of screens, artfully going above or below before almost always getting a hand in the shooter’s face. He fights to contest, a glamourless but essential task.
According to Synergy, Douglas-Roberts defended 49 plays last year where his man came off a screen to attempt a shot. He was merciless here, holding opponents to just 0.57 points per play, good for third best in the league. A couple examples:
After being waived four times by three teams since 2012, Charlotte granted Douglas-Roberts the opportunity to figure out who he is as a productive basketball player. He completely understands the responsibilities Los Angeles will let him have.
If Douglas-Roberts can replicate last year's production in stable playing time and excel in his role as a three-and-D contributor beside insanely talented players like Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, the Clippers may have found an ideal and affordable small forward to join their starting lineup.
All statistics are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com or NBA.com unless otherwise noted.
Michael Pina covers the NBA for Bleacher Report, Sports on Earth, FOX Sports, ESPN, Grantland and elsewhere. Follow him on Twitter @MichaelVPina.
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