The Clippers Had An Excellent Offseason
The Clippers had some moves to make this offseason, some key decisions that they needed to make if they wanted to win a title. And they did a pretty good job, all things considered. I think that the Clippers are a much better team now and have a much better chance at winning a title. Here is how the Clippers had an excellent offseason.
Trading Landry Shamet
Ok, this one I don’t like. You give away a guy who is an excellent 3-point shooter and defender for Luke Kennard. Now Kennard did average 15+ppg last season with the Pistons, so I’ll give him a chance. But as of right now I don’t really like this move because Kennard isn’t a great defender and he is not a facilitator, something that the Clippers really need. So this move was counter-productive, just to add another scorer, the thing that the Clippers do best.
Again, I will give Kennard a chance, but instead of trading Shamet for this, they definitely could have found an actual facilitating PG. Not another scoring.
“Losing” Montrezl Harrell
Everybody was freaking out that the Clippers lost Montrezl Harrell, the reigning 6th Man of the Year, but I’m not so sure that he is a loss. Yes he did average better than 18 ppg and 7 rebounds on 58% shooting from the field, but Harrell didn’t fit what the Clippers needed.
The Clippers already have a lot of scoring with Kawhi, PG, Marcus Morris, and now Luke Kennard. They also have Lou Williams off the bench. Having Harrell isn’t a must. He’s just adding to the plentiful scoring that the Clippers already possess.
The Clippers do need a lot more big guy defense outside of Ivica Zubac. Harrell is undersized and can’t guard the top tier of big guys like Giannis, Embiid, Jokic, or Anthony Davis. The Clippers only have one guy to guard all those guys and that’s Zubac. PG or Kawhi would be ok, but they would be at a disadvantage. So the Clippers don’t need Harrell’s scoring and his size doesn’t help their biggest weakness. So why exactly do they need him?
And the icing on the cake is that Harrell was nowhere to be found in the playoffs. After he returned, he was horrible, and a big liability on the floor. Nikola Jokic cooked him, shooting better than 60% from the field when guarded by Harrell. And Harrell didn’t play well in that series, averaging just under 12 points per game. So when Harrell’s offense isn’t going and his defense with is already sub-par are combined, the Clippers fail.
So I really don’t see this as a loss. Obviously Harrell is a very talented player, but I don’t think his style fits the Clippers and he doesn’t add a lot to this team. Him going to the Lakers is probably the worst thing that happened out of all of this.
Signing Serge Ibaka
Like I said earlier, the Clippers biggest weakness was their interior defense. Last season it was just Ivica Zubac down low, and that was a problem. The perimeter defense has enough guys with Patrick Beverley, Kawhi, PG, and Marcus Morris all being good perimeter defenders. The Clippers just need some shot-blocking. And they got that with Ibaka.
Ibaka reunites with his 2019 teammate Kawhi Leonard. Kawhi and Serge won a title together, and Serge is a great addition to this team. He is one of the best shot blockers in the league. He can also stretch the floor with his 3-point shooting. The Clippers got what they needed and more by signing Ibaka.
Ibaka would likely start alongside Zubac in the front-court, giving them two guys to guard AD. The Clippers struggled against AD last season, and this pickup should help them with that a lot. Ibaka is also another body to guard the crafty Nikola Jokic in the post, something that the Clippers also struggled with last season.
So signing Ibaka really helps this team on defense and is a solid shooter on offense, giving them even more versatility. This was one of the best signings of this free agency, and the Clipper are getting a lot better with this move.
Re-Signing Marcus Morris
Marcus Morris was having a career year on the lowly Knicks, becoming a 20 ppg scorer. And then he was dealt to the Clippers, where his production dropped for obvious reasons, but he was very effective. And the Clippers made the right move by keeping him.
Morris is a very tough and durable player, and is another wing defender for the Clippers. Morris is a solid shooter and isolation scorer, and is the secret weapon of sorts on this Clippers team. Morris is like another Kawhi or Paul George, just a tad bit worse (might be better than PG at this point, but whatever).
Keeping Morris was essential, and they did a good job keeping him this offseason.
So the Clippers did some great things this offseason. They resigned Marcus Morris, giving them more defense and perimeter talent. They added Serge Ibaka, giving them interior defense. They did lose Landry Shamet, and they “lost” Montrezl Harrell. But the Clippers still need a PG and with their being no great options, look for the Clippers to trade for a guy like Derrick Rose. The Clippers are probably not done with their offseason, but they’ve had a great offseason thus far.
Which PG Should The Clippers Try And Get? Leave A Comment Down Below!
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