Opponent Scouting: LA Clippers
Tonight at 10:30pm EST the Detroit Pistons will be on the road to face the Clippers of LA. The Pistons are on two days of rest following a loss to the Raptors, while the Clips are on one day of rest and 3rd game in 4 nights following a close loss to the Mavericks.
The Them:
The Clippers are still missing Kawhi Leonard, who has played just 2 games this season, and with him out they appear to be the same team as last year, a decent team that is clearly treading water until (hopefully) their best player gets healthy. The Clippers have the 2nd worst offense in the entire NBA and the 2nd best defense. They have length defensively and are well coached but continue to have a hole in playmaking offensively.
In addition to Kawhi Leonard, Luke Kennard is questionable after leaving their last game early with a calf issue. I haven’t seen anything for sure about his status.
With Kawhi out, Paul George is the definitive top dog on the team. George is the same guy he’s been for like, a decade now. He’s long, smooth, can shoot from anywhere and athletic enough to get to the hoop. His playmaking is not great but he’s still a solid offensive fulcrum while also capable of being an all-world defender. After George it is a collection of (mostly) really solid role-players.
Ivica Zubac is large, can do some scoring in the paint, and protects the paint defensively. Reggie Jackson is not efficient at scoring the ball and has shot awfully to start the season but he can still get into the paint, is a plus passer, and brings decent size defensively. Marcus Morris is large, tough, and can score in isolation. If Luke Kennard does play he remains an elite shooter who can create for himself.
Nic Batum continues his career revival as a killer rotational wing who shoots, defends, and is a plus passer. Terance Mann is fun, John Wall is… not what he once was but he’s still fast. Norman Powell is a classic instant offense guard. Robert Covington is here but doesn’t play much.
The suffocating defense is not surprising. Veterans up and down the roster, excellent length, and with a guy like George to unleash it’s deadly. Offensively they lack a proper point guard. John Wall is too old and hurt, and Reggie Jackson is not efficient enough. If Leonard ever does get back to the type of player he was, the Leonard/George combo should provide so much wing scoring that they can make a more functional offense, but until that happens it will be a struggle.
Matchups to watch:
The Rotation: Isaiah Stewart is out, it sounds like Cade is still out. It will be interesting to see the rotational decisions made.
Ivey vs. Being the man: Without Cade, in the lineup, Ivey has taken the reins of the offense and has largely been successful. He’s finding holes in the defense, making good decisions about when to live to fight another day vs when he needs to just try and force it. His passing has been miles beyond what anyone could’ve hoped for. I’m not going to have the “Is Cade holding back Ivey??” conversation right now because they are both really young and will need some time. But if Ivey keeps looking excellent as the focal point it’s a conversation we will want to think more about.
Pistons vs. Half-court offense: As stated above, the Clippers are playing stifling defense. Without Cade to fall back on the Pistons will have to work extra hard to create good looks no matter what, its possible that this game is one of the more miserable Pistons games of the season. Some guys need to step up.
Pistons vs. Hitting threes: Detroit has been one of the league’s worst shooting teams this season, they gotta hit some. That simple.
Pistons vs. Defensive cohesion: The flip side of LA’s awesome defense is a struggling offense. IF the Pistons can be cohesive enough to not give away too many freebies they can bog down the Clippers’ offense to stay in the game, if they make mistakes though the Clippers have enough guys who can score to bury them.
Killian Hayes Belieif O’Meter: Being aggressive, getting better shots (aka not just flinging up stepback threes and impossible floaters) some real positivity from Hayes. Keep on chugging that way on offense while dominating defensively and he may save his career yet.
Marvin Bagley vs. defense: The atrociousness of Bagley defensively is hard to overstate. He brings real value offensively despite his bad shooting but it will be hard to justify playing him real minutes if he’s as miserable defensively as he’s been since coming back.
So in conclusion…
Wink knowingly at your friends if:
Saddiq Bey suddenly finds his three-point shot back.
Killian Hayes is having that dog in him
The Clippers’ offense looks rudderless
Run for the hills if:
The Pistons’ offense looks awful
Jaden Ivey has 10 turnovers in the first half
Detroit has no answer for Paul George