It took the Los Angeles Clippers nearly half of the 2013-14 season to finally practice with their full squad.
Four days into 2014-15 training camp, however, no player has yet to miss a practice.
"We've had three more [full practices] already than we did last year," head coach Doc Rivers said on Friday at UNLV's Mendenhall Center.
Despite the roster's continuity to start the season, there has been a stark difference between the holdovers from last season's squad that lost in the Western Conference semifinals and the newcomers who hope to carve out a role.
"I think there's a difference in all the guys, in the fact that they've come back from last year," Rivers said. "They have an extra step because they know where to go. They have a clear advantage over the new guys, and you can see it in their movement.
"They know where to go, and the new guys, they think they know where to go. So it creates an extra step."
That extra step could be the difference this season in the playoffs, but its too early to tell. As Rivers quipped with his first answer, "Man, we've only been practicing for three days..."
With that said, here are a few notes and observations from Friday's training camp:
-- Blake Griffin's spot-up 3-point shooting looks much improved. He has eliminated that awful hitch in his shot, and his shooting form is now one fluid motion. At one point in a post-practice shooting drill, he knocked down nearly 10 3-pointers in a row. If he can add that weapon to his arsenal this season, the Clippers' offense will have more room to breathe and be that much more dangerous.
-- Reggie Bullock has been getting playing time as the primary small forward backup with the second unit, but Rivers said to pump the brakes on any talk of Bullock securing that role.
-- While Rivers has been impressed with rookie C.J. Wilcox's offensive game, he has been less than enthused with what he has seen from the No. 28 overall selection on defense. "He's struggling -- he has to guard J.J (Redick)," Rivers said. "That would be no fun for anyone. Whoever is guarding J.J. right now is struggling. J.J. just plays at such a high pace, and the team knows him, that it's very difficult early on to figure out how to guard him."
-- Speaking of Redick, Rivers said Redick is finally fully healthy again and that his presence changes the dynamic of Clippers practices: "He looks great. He's healthy. It's amazing. Last year, when J.J. practices our practices are different. There's just no doubt. He just plays at a tempo and with an intensity, and he forces the guy guarding him on the other team to either meet that or get destroyed. He's great to have in practice and in games."
-- One of the more interesting story lines at training camp has been the integration of the new assistant coaches -- Mike Woodson, Lawrence Frank and Sam Cassell. Rivers has longstanding relationships with all of them, which has helped ease the transition. "It's a new crew," Rivers said. "It's been great. I've had a relationship -- I've known all of them for a long time. So it wasn't that hard. It wasn't new like I didn't know them. So that helped a lot. ... Our staff will be better by mid-year than it is now for sure."
-- Glen "Big Baby" Davis has more bounce in step, and has lost weight according to Rivers, though it's difficult to notice much of a difference in person: "It's like throwing a deck chair off the Queen Mary," Rivers joked. "No one notices, but I notice. I see it. He's put in a ton of work. Again, you don't visually see it, but you can actually see it in his movement for sure."
-- Throughout most training camps, coaches will pump up trivial players' improvements and gush about their potential roles. So, has anyone stood out so far other than the starters and key bench players? As with basically everything Rivers says, he was candid and cut straight to point: "I think guys have shown flashes, but I don't know if anyone has stood out -- anyone that we didn't think would. So I'd say no."
