Winners, Losers from LA Clippers' NBA Preseason
We're two weeks into the NBA preseason. It's time to evaluate the good and the bad.
During the Los Angeles Clippers' 0-3 start to the year, we've seen "preseason" problems and systematic ones alike. But the good looks like it should outweigh the bad for a team that is hoping to improve on a 57-win 2013-14 season, one that ended in a second-round playoff loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan and Jamal Crawford seem like their usual selves—in some cases, even better. But there are low points on this team—fixable, but currently apparent flaws.
With that, let's look at some of the Clippers' winners and losers from the first couple weeks of the preseason.
Winner: Blake Griffin's Jump Shot
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Who is this man?
You know who I'm talking about.
I'm referring to the Clippers power forward who isn't hesitating to take jump shots anymore. The one who has radically changed his release point from where it was last season, bringing the ball way higher and farther in front of his forehead than before. The one who is actually releasing the rock at the peak of his jump as opposed to when he's coming back down.
Blake Griffin looks completely different.
Even last season, when his jump shot tremendously progressed, Griffin would still take a moment to decide whether to shoot upon receiving a pass. At least for the first three games of the preseason, Griffin is acting far more decisive than he ever has before.
If this is real—if Griffin actually is a well-above-average, confident, mid-range shooter who can step out for occasional corner threes—the man who finished a distant third in MVP voting last season could inject himself into the conversation for first place in 2014-15, especially if the recently injured Kevin Durant is hobbled for a full season.
Winner: Jamal Crawford's Back
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Did Jamal Crawford make a three? His eyes don't know. Only his back does.
This is just suave.
Watch Crawford turn around immediately upon releasing the shot to boast in front of the Blazers' bench, only to wait for the ball to swish through the bottom of the net. He instantly knew that shot's destiny. And he pulled it off better than Nick Young.
Winner: DeAndre Jordan
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DeAndre Jordan picked up the preseason where he left off last year: dominating the Golden State Warriors.
Jordan wrecked Golden State in a seven-game, first-round playoff series five months ago, and he started October in the same fashion. Early in the Clippers' first exhibition game, Jordan manned the paint, guarding Andrew Bogut, watched Klay Thompson dribble right and toss up a floater, only to step over, explode off his feet and swat Thompson's attempt into the hands of Chris Paul.
It was perfect DeAndre Jordan.
The preseason numbers may not be overwhelming—7.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game in 25.3 minutes a night—but Jordan is doing essentially what he did every night a year ago.
When DJ is off the floor, it's remarkable how different the Clippers defense looks (we'll get to more on this later).
It does seem that once again, Jordan is going to have to be the team's defensive savior. And that's not all bad. It's a relatively normal responsibility to bestow upon the man who finished third in last season's Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Loser: Reggie Bullock
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The Clippers are banking on improvement from Bullock to help stabilize the small forward spot in the lineup, arguably the weakest position on the roster. So far, what they've seen hasn't been particularly encouraging.
As Brad Turner wrote in the LA Times after the Clippers' second preseason game, the Clippers' small forward position "remains in flux." Turner implies there's no guarantee Doc Rivers will return to Matt Barnes as the starter with Bullock entering his second season and Chris Douglas-Roberts coming over from Charlotte.
There's one problem, though: Bullock, who didn't show much as a rookie, has brought his struggles with him into the preseason.
Through 42 preseason minutes, Bullock is just 2-for-8 from the field. He's gone scoreless in two of his three games played. And he's struggling with the same aspects of offense he dealt with last season.
He's not a ball-handling option. He's not much of a passer. And off the ball, he hasn't always slid to open spots on the floor, failing to space as much as a shooter should.
Just like with all the preseason "winners," and the forthcoming "losers," this is just the preseason, and because of that, new problems aren't always disconcerting. But for Bullock, these issues aren't necessarily new. They're themes. And that could be a problem down the line.
Loser: Big Man Defense
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Defensive cohesion tends to improve over the course of a season. That's mainly because, as the cliché says, the only way to build chemistry is over time.
So, it's not all that surprising the Clippers would be struggling as a communicative entity over the first three games of the preseason. That's something we see in pretty much every team. But LA's pick-and-roll struggles with the backup bigs do serve as a reminder of the strengths and weaknesses of their offseason acquisitions: the organization didn't exactly shore up every flaw from last season's team.
The Clippers went out and got their third big man this summer, a part of the roster that's served as a constant void for two straight seasons. Spencer Hawes is a massive upgrade from anything the Clippers have had before, but Hawes is more of the offensive-minded type, and so far his pick-and-roll coverage has been flat-footed and ineffective.
We have to remember Ekpe Udoh, who has missed the preseason thus far with a sprained ankle, is scheduled to slot in as the resident bench defender. And defense never looks good in the preseason, even with the most defensive-minded squads. Still, if you need to know why the Clippers are yet to win a preseason game, you can probably find the answer on the defensive side of the ball.
Loser: Perimeter Defense
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The bigs aren't the only ones to blame for the Clippers' porous defense over the first few games.
The Clips have been highly generous on the perimeter all preseason as well. Opponents are shooting exactly 50 percent from long range in their three October games.
The Utah Jazz nailed 14-of-30 threes. The Portland Trail Blazers drained 17-of-25.
Just look at how open Rodney Hood is in the above GIF. That is what we call preseason defense.
Usually, the phenomenon of "preseason defense" doesn't carry over to November and beyond. J.J. Redick, who doesn't move during that Hood three, may fight to close out on the shooter if this is later in the season. So might Chris Paul, who feigns a closeout after Hood releases his shot. Defensive rotations will surely be sharper after a few rehearsals.
For now, though, the Clippers have been feeding the ducks with long balls. That's how you start off the exhibition schedule 0-3.
Fred Katz averaged almost one point per game in fifth grade but maintains that his per-36-minute numbers were astonishing. Find more of his work at WashingtonPost.com or on ESPN's TrueHoop Network at ClipperBlog.com. Follow him on Twitter at @FredKatz.
Unless otherwise noted, all statistics are current as of Oct. 13 and are courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
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