National Basketball Association

LA Clippers: Luc Mbah a Moute has really stepped up

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Luc Mbah a Moute has really stepped up for the LA Clippers this season, showcasing his excellent defense and flashing some potential improvements on offense.

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is a phenomenal defender, whether he’s being tasked with guarding a point guard or a power forward, he can essentially do it all. That’s always been is calling card in the NBA, and it’s something you can expect from him every game with the LA Clippers.

During his tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks, then head coach Scott Skiles loved placing him on the opposing team’s best wing players, because of his quickness, length and strength that allow him to guard players on the perimeter or in the post.

This season, it looks like Doc Rivers is looking to get those exact same qualities out of Luc every night. And so far he’s shown he’s up to the task.

In pick-and-roll scenarios, Luc is only giving up 0.52 points per possession to ball-handlers (which places him in the 90th percentile, per NBA.com). In isolation situations, he’s allowing a mere 0.40 points per possession (94th percentile). That outstanding defense has been a key catalyst in why the Clippers have been the best defensive unit in the league, ranking first with just 92.7 points allowed per 100 possessions. The team also only gives up 90.5 points when Luc plays, compared to 99.2 when he sits.

On top of the defense, he’s also managed to help the Clippers’ offense at times. He can’t create his own shot or attack off the dribble, but he’s a strong cutter and has shown some flashes of improvement from range.

Over the last five games Luc is shooting 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. Incredibly small sample size aside, that in it self is amazing, especially when considering he’s shot only 30.7 percent from three-point range for his career. Simply taking more shots is rare for Luc. But a lot of this has to do with were Doc Rivers is getting him looks, and that’s almost exclusively from both corner three-point locations (shooting 37.5 percent there.)

On the season, Luc is making 42.9 percent of his looks from deep (1.4 attempts and 0.6 per game, equating to 0.9 makes per 36 minutes). However, that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been inconsistent at times; case and point, five straight games without a three to start the season. A lack of quantity keeps plenty of question marks around his shooting at this early stage.

That being said, the quantity is strong by Luc’s standards. We’re only 10 games into the 2016-17 season, and with six made threes he’s already close to his total for the 75 games he played last season (13).

Even though Luc may found a ton of space in the corners wh ile playing alongside the likes of Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, teams can leave Luc almost unguarded if he can’t hit his shots.

This has proven to be a problem for some teams such as the Memphis Grizzlies. During the 2014-15 playoffs, the Golden State Warriors chose to play center Andrew Bogut on Tony Allen, forcing Allen to into being more of a scorer. In the end he wasn’t able to answer the bell, as Golden State continued sagging off him forcing him to shoot three-pointers.

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It turned out how everyone expected it to turn out from there, as the Warriors were able to come out on top. That’s how much having a bad shooter can affect your lineup. Now, if opponents did that with Memphis (and this obviously isn’t the only example you’ll find), what’s to stop them from doing so with the Clippers? If they are to go up against one of the elite teams in the playoffs, they’re going to test Mbah a Moute’s jump shot.

So, he needs to try hitting those corner three-point looks with more regularity. Whether or not he can make the most of the space he gets and at least draw defenders further from the paint is the lingering concern.

The LA Clippers don’t have a ton of great depth at small forward and Wesley Johnson has played well coming off the bench, meaning Luc is their best option at this time. He’s shown himself to the perfect fit alongside Griffin, Paul, Jordan and J.J. Reddick, because Luc isn’t someone they’ve got to draw up plays for. Instead, he just needs to focus on defense and hitting the open three-ball.

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If he can do just that, and we know his defense is excellent, this team will have its best shot yet at fighting for a title come April.

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