National Basketball Association

LA Clippers 2016-17 Season Outlook: Is This Finally The Breakout Year?

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:48 p.m. ET

foxsports

Jan 18, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers players Chris Paul (3) and DeAndre Jordan (6), forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (12) and Austin Rivers (25) and J.J. Redick (4) huddle during an NBA basketball game against the Houston Rockets at Staples Center. The Clippers defeated the Rockers 140-132 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

After another letdown in the playoffs, the LA Clippers are hoping to finally break through in 2016-17

On April 24th, 2016, the stars aligned for the LA Clippers. In what was meant to be a playoff warm-up for the Golden State Warriors, Stephen Curry sprained his right MCL at the end of a Game 4 against the Houston Rockets.

In a game in which Golden State won by 27 points, the Warriors managed to come away the losers. The Rockets would still pose no conceivable threat. Having experienced locker room turmoil all season, James Harden’s squad could not challenge the Warriors – with or without Curry. The real danger lied a little in the future.

On the other side of the playoff bracket was a LA Clippers team with a new-found confidence. The Clippers saw success in the regular season, winning 53 game en route to a four-seed in the playoffs. Even so, regular season headlines were dominated by the cross-town rival Warriors. And for good reason.

The Warriors ran roughshod through the league in aesthetically mesmerizing fashion. They had seemingly mastered modern NBA basketball. The Clippers were good, but were comparatively punching middleweight. Even the best middleweight fighter doesn’t stand a chance against a heavyweight champion.

Nobody ever hopes for injuries – especially players. Professional level competition yearns for the highest level of play. Heading into the playoffs, the Clippers surely believed they could beat the Warriors, and objectively better team, even if it wasn’t true. Regardless, Curry’s injury opened that door even wider.

The Clippers would have to first battle past a tough yet winnable first round match-up with the Portland Trailblazers, but the writing was on the wall. The second round would pit a hungry Clippers franchise against a crippled Warriors team in what promised to be a hotly-contested bloodbath.

Unfortunately, the highly anticipated Warriors-Clippers series was never realized. In the end, injuries proved to be too big an obstacle for this dream match-up to come to fruition. Only, it wasn’t the Warriors who were sent home early.

Not long after injuries threw a wrench into the Warriors championship run, the Clippers’ title hopes fell with a thud. Less than 24 hours after Steph Curry’s knee gave out, the Clippers’ two stars, Chris Paul and Blake Griffin, suffered similar fates.

In Game 4 of their Portland series, Paul sustained a third metacarpal fracture in his right hand. Griffin also saw a nagging quad injury which had forced him out of all but 35 regular season games flare up at the worst time. In one day, the Clippers went from dark horse contender to Barbaro at the Preakness. They would lose to Portland in six games, and just like that, their season was over.

Playoff disappointment has been a pattern for the LA Clippers. When the team acquired Chris Paul in 2011, the Clippers seemed poised for a championship run. That year, they were swept in the second round of the playoffs by the San Antonio Spurs. The next year, the Clippers lost in the first round to the Memphis Grizzlies. Next, they lost in the second round to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Last year, the Houston Rockets ousted the Clippers in the second round.

Last year’s first round exit only continued an annual tradition of postseason shortcomings.

Even so, the Clippers played well when healthy last season. The starting lineup of Paul and Griffin with DeAndre Jordan, J.J. Redick, and Luc Mbah a Moute outscored opponents by +17.7 points per 48 minutes.

This elite clip gives hope for what a healthy Clippers roster could accomplish. In fact, the Clippers have long trotted out dominant starting lineups. In the 2014-15 season, the Clippers started Matt Barnes in lue of Mbah a Moute. This lineup had a margin of +18.0 points per 48 minutes. A year before that, the Clippers best starting lineup touted a +19.7 points per 48 minutes margin.

Apr 27, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul Pierce (34) sits on the bench before the start of game five of the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The Roster

The starting unit has never been a problem for these Clippers. Chris Paul has always been a master of integrating his teammates into an offense. Paul hasn’t dipped below double digit assists per game in three years. Paul’s defense also remains top-notch, finishing third in steals per game last season. Paul has the strength to defend bigger players in post-up positions. Even at age 31, Paul has also retained his quick first step to both drive past defenses on offense and stay in front of speedier guards on the other end.

The longer Paul has played in Los Angeles, the more apparent his chemistry with his frontcourt companions has become. Paul and DeAndre Jordan have been dynamic in the pick-and-roll together. Paul’s brilliance has not only made up for Jordan’s lack of range, but also transformed Jordan into an elite rim-runner and finisher. Jordan’s elite leaping ability has also allowed him to become a menace protecting the rim and grabbing boards.

Blake Griffin has also grown to compliment Jordan’s game. The ideal power forward to pair with Jordan would space the floor to open the offense for 1-5 pick-and-rolls and kick-outs. While Griffin’s range has improved over the years, he has a sub-par three point shot.

However, the totality of Griffin’s skill set more than makes up for this short-coming. For as great as Chris Paul is, Blake Griffin may be the Clippers’ best player.

Griffin is the best passing power forward in the NBA. Operating from the high post, Griffin can quickly find open shooters and cutters when opposing defenses play to his scoring ability. The short lob from Griffin to Jordan has been a pet play for the Clippers for years.

Power-forward-to-center lobs are rare league-wide, but Griffin’s offensive awareness allows the maneuver to work to perfection when double teamed in the paint. Blake is also every bit the finishing threat as Jordan. A monster dunker with a first-rate handle, Griffin is one of the biggest transition threats in the league.

J. J. Redick fits in at the shooting guard position seamlessly with these three centerpieces. A killer long-range shooter, he can make defenses pay for overplaying first actions involving Paul and Griffin. Redick shot a blistering 47.5 percent on threes last season, pulling defenders away from an already congested paint in the process.

Even Mbah a Moute provides meaningful contributions in his supporting role. At 6-foot-8, the small forward has the length and defensive intuition to disrupt most wings.

Bench Woes

The real problem with the LA Clippers has always been the bench. This year will be no exception, as the Clippers plan to rely on a second unit headlined by a geriatric Jamal Crawford and the coach’s son. While Crawford provides instant offense, he just as instantly bleeds points on the other end. Austin Rivers has improved as a combo guard, but does not incorporate others into the offense like Paul.

Rivers may actually be right not to share the ball, as he will often be sharing the court with a past-his-prime Raymond Felton, a way past-his-prime Paul Pierce, and a never-had-a-prime Wesley Johnson.

The offseason acquisitions of Alan Anderson and Marreese Speights address this problem in part, but don’t project to move the needle much. Anderson is a nice defender, but is essentially non-existent on offense. Speights has turned himself into a reliable perimeter shooter, but does little to plug the gaping hole in the Clippers’ frontcourt depth.

Nov 30, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul (3) and forward Blake Griffin (32) during an NBA game against the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Time For A Reset?

For all the success the LA Clippers have seen, they have failed to reach the Conference Finals in every year of the Chris Paul era. Many have called for the Clippers to throw in the towel and part ways with the roster in its current form. Trading Paul or Griffin would allow Los Angeles to net multiple pieces to fill out the roster more evenly.

In this scenario, the Clippers could field a competitive bench unit while also retaining one of their stars.