Clippers' new second-unit lineup could help bench struggles
The Los Angeles Clippers' bench unit, by any measure, has been a disaster this season.
The five-man unit of Josh Smith at center, Paul Pierce at power forward, Wesley Johnson at small forward, Jamal Crawford at shooting guard and Austin Rivers at point guard has managed an atrocious -28.9 net rating in 60 minutes, according to NBA.com/stats.
The bench continually gives up leads the starters build, and it's a legitimate issue holding the Clips back right now.
But head coach Doc Rivers may have stumbled into a productive bench combination in the fourth quarter of Thursday's 83-80 loss to the Chicago Bulls.
By inserting Lance Stephenson in for Paul Pierce at power forward, the Clippers were able to create "chaos," as Doc Rivers described it, according to the Los Angeles Times. The Clippers erased the Bulls' 12-point lead, though it ended up not being enough as the starters -- minus Blake Griffin -- couldn't finish the game.
Rivers has often stuck Pierce at power forward, leaving Johnson or Stephenson as the odd man out of the lineup, but Pierce has struggled to make shots and on defense, and Stephenson and Johnson have been more productive overall.
Stephenson didn't play in the first half, but finished with five points, four assists, three rebounds and one steal in 18 minutes. He said the key to the second unit playing well is keeping things simple and not doing too much.
"Just playing free and playing together, that's when the game comes easy for everybody," Stephenson said.
Among the six Clippers lineups that have played 50 or more minutes, their main bench lineup shoots the worst, rebounds the worst, shares the ball the worst and plays at the second-slowest pace. Basically, it's their worst rotation lineup by far.
But Stephenson provides a jolt of energy, a lead ball-handler and a defensive presence that Pierce doesn't have at this point. It's too early to tell how this lineup will fare over the long haul -- it's only played 9 minutes together -- but it's something to keep an eye on as Doc Rivers continues to try to find the right rotation.
