The Los Angeles Clippers can no longer rely on the star power they had in the Paul George and Kawhi Leonard era. George is now in Philadelphia, and Leonard has yet to play this season. Early on, they have established themselves as a scrappy defensive team.
The Clippers held their opponent to under 100 points for a second straight game in their 104-93 win over the Magic, and the defensive intensity increased as the game went on as Orlando was only able to muster 39 points in the second half.
“That is who we have to be. That has to be our mindset. We have to play hard and make sure we are doing things right defensively. If we do that every game, we have a chance to win,” said Ty Lue. “Our identity every night is playing hard and competing on the defensive end.”
Kris Dunn came up with a steal on the very first possession of the game and set the tone all night long. Lue lauded his ability to guard multiple positions after taking on the assignments of Stephen Curry and Franz Wagner in the last two wins and stated that his goal is to make the NBA All-Defensive Team this year.
“I think we are getting used to playing this style of basketball. Our thoughts from day one at camp were that we wanted to be a defensive-minded team every single night and make it hard to play against us. Tonight wasn’t any different, but I think we have shown who we are that we are going to compete and do whatever it takes to win games,” said Lue.
The Clippers are currently fourth in the NBA in opponent points per game and seventh in defensive rating.
James Harden‘s usage might become a concern if Leonard does not return within a reasonable amount of time. He is the primary orchestrator on offense, averaging 20 points and nine assists a night while leading the team in minutes at 35 years old.
Norman Powell is now set to miss some time with a hamstring injury, leaving Harden as the lone shot-creator in the starting unit. It did not matter against the Magic as they picked up 35 points combined from Amir Coffey and Ivica Zubac, but Harden could eventually start to wear down.
“We are going to miss Norm. Guys are going to have to step up, play the right way, and not try to do it all by themselves. It is going to have to be collective, and our guys understand that. Hopefully, we can hold it down until he gets back,” said Lue.
Kevin Porter Jr. needs to step up as a creator in his absence to take some of the pressure off Harden. He showed up with ten points and had six assists in their first game without Powell.
With no timeline for Leonard’s return, Lue needs to be cautious with how much of a workload he asks Harden to carry. The formula is working for now, but we are only 16 games into an 82-game season.
As long as Los Angeles continues to dominate on the defensive end of the ball, scoring will not be as much of a premium, and the Clippers will be a tough opponent every night.
Benjamin Verbrugge is a reporter for News4usonline who studied journalism at CSU Dominguez Hills. “Sports have brought me much joy throughout my life, and I want to give a little back to something that has meant so much to me.” Email Benjamin at benverbrugge8@gmail.com.