LA Clippers Need Spencer Hawes to Fill Blake Griffin's Temporary Void

In a fiercely competitive Western Conference, the Los Angeles Clippers weren't in a position advantageous to even moderate slippage. And following Sunday's announcement that All-Star power forward Blake Griffin will be out indefinitely after undergoing surgery to remove a staph infection in his right elbow, that margin for error has waned considerably:  

According to ESPN.com's Ramona Shelburne, Griffin's projected timetable for return should span at least a month: 

Head coach Doc Rivers added that the sensitive nature of Griffin's ailment means the team won't be inclined to rush him back, according to ESPN.com's Arash Markazi: 

With Griffin sidelined, the Clippers will immediately throw mid-level exception signee and stretchy big man Spencer Hawes into the fire as their new starting power forward. Markazi adds Los Angeles won't make any reactionary moves on the free-agent or trade markets, which means Hawes is guaranteed to assume a heavier burden for the time being:  

Hawes does provide value as a spot-up scorer and capable distributor, qualities which led Los Angeles to sign him to a four-year, $22.6 million deal over the summer, per Spotrac.com.

"Most league executives applauded the signing at the time," Grantland's Zach Lowe wrote. "Hawes would space the floor around Griffin-Jordan dives to the rim, whip smart outside-in passes and toggle between opposing bigs on defense."

Those potential offerings were on full display during Sunday afternoon's 131-108 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. In 35 minutes as a starter, Hawes tied a season high by dropping 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting (2-of-5 from three). 

However, Hawes' overall offensive impact has been peanuts compared to what Los Angeles thought it was getting upon signing one of the league's true three-point shooting threats at the 5. 

And that's the end where he'll need to contribute most significantly as the Clippers seek to fill Griffin's 22.5 point-per-game void—especially since the DeAndre Jordan-Hawes pairing has proved to be effective on defense in spurts. 

According to Lowe, that two-man combination generally hasn't hurt or helped the Clippers' efforts this season on the whole: 

Digging deeper into Lowe's findings, Los Angeles has limited opponents to 105.3 points per 100 possessions with Hawes and Jordan on the floor but has mustered a mere 101.4 on the other end, per NBA.com. That makes sense considering the Clippers' offensive rating has been roughly 13 points better overall with Hawes off the floor. 

In the right role, Hawes has plenty of redeemable value. We saw it last season with the Philadelphia 76ers and Cleveland Cavaliers, when he drilled 41.6 percent of his threes while averaging a career-high three dimes. This season, Hawes has knocked down just 34 percent of his threes—his lowest total since 2011-12.

And believe it or not, playing to the scouting report can open up Hawes' arsenal quite nicely. For years he has hit opponents with hard pump fakes from the top of the arc, only to glide toward the free-throw line. From there, options open up as Hawes can simply toss up a floater on the run, cutters can angle for backdoor bounce passes, or wings can find open catch-and-shoot opportunities thanks to collapsing defenses.    

Finding a comfortable role for Hawes can't be a laborious process, though. Los Angeles is set to fight an uphill battle against an absurdly difficult upcoming schedule, a stretch that will put the lumbering big under an intense microscope, as NBC Sports' Kurt Helin noted:  

Specifically, 12 of the Clippers' next 15 opponents own records above .500, with multiple contests coming against eventual Western Conference playoff qualifiers of the highest caliber. That's particularly bad news considering the Clippers were only 11-13 against .500-plus squads with Griffin in the lineup. 

Date	Opponent
Feb. 9	@ Dallas Mavericks
Feb. 11	vs. Houston Rockets
Feb. 19	vs. San Antonio Spurs
Feb. 21	vs. Sacramento Kings
Feb. 23	vs. Memphis Grizzlies
Feb. 25	@ Houston Rockets
Feb. 27	@ Memphis Grizzlies
Mar. 1	@ Chicago Bulls
Mar. 2	@ Minnesota Timberwolves
Mar. 4	vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Mar. 8	@ Golden State Warriors
Mar. 9	vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
Mar. 11	@ Oklahoma City Thunder
Mar. 13	@ Dallas Mavericks
Mar. 15	vs. Houston Rockets

Already riding a four-game losing streak, things could get awfully dicey in the weeks ahead, as Lowe points out: 

Following Sunday's loss to the Thunder, the Clippers occupy the Western Conference's No. 7 seed, with the San Antonio Spurs sliding into the sixth spot.

But the Phoenix Suns can't be ignored either, since they sit just four games back of Los Angeles with the New Orleans Pelicans 1.5 games out of the eighth seed. Then there are the Thunder, who have won three of their last four and get a crack at the Clippers again on March 11.

The silver lining comes in the form an eight-day layoff for the All-Star break, which will provide Griffin with an extended period to heal without missing any action. 

But no matter how much downtime Griffin has, Hawes must find a rhythm with the Clippers' number of frontcourt permutations dwindling by the day. And with a shot at atoning for a shaky first half to the season, Hawes can also justify the deal that financially constrained the Clippers by flaunting his particular and useful set of skills. 

All statistics current as of Feb. 8 and courtesy of NBA.com unless noted otherwise.