Game 40: Los Angeles Clippers (27-12) @ Denver Nuggets (26-12) - 8:00 PM ET

[Young Sterling]

Doc admitted that was on him for not running enough plays for Shamet. He doesn't seem to be running any secondary plays either, just for his main 4.. which is usually more like 3 since there's always one superstar taking a night off.

Out of our big 3-4, 2 of them don't bleed points. We throw out too many negative defenders out on the court together. When I see Lou, Sham and Trez, yes it's instant macaroni offense, but 3 negative defenders will hurt you. And what you do you know, it has. NOT LOCK CITY.

We need to improve our roster... We need some bigs to anchor our defense. It's not rocket science. If you ever play basketball without quality interior presence, the game just becomes that much harder. No matter how versatile your team is.

Source?
I've been saying this since the jump. Paul George being out or not, Landry Shamet is KEY! I took it for granted (when looking forward into this season) that they would utilize Shamet like the sniper that he is, that he would be the 2nd or third option anytime he's no the court. He has Steph/Klay-like abilities, USE THEM! Optimize the team's capabilities by exploiting Shamet (and the 3-pt shot in general) -- why don't they see this?!?

Doc is taking a bullet for Shamet here. He's been crap since training camp.

Source: Doc's press conference two games ago.

Also, yes Landry hasn't looked aggressive at all. But that's also a result of the plays being called for him. You can see a lot of his passive nature comes more from just running the set and making sure the guy who is supposed to shoot, shoots. However, there are a ton of times Kawhi just doesn't pass it out to him when he and other teammates are open. That's the case with all the secondary players on our team right now.

Kawhi is taking all the shots, even against set good defenses, to get into his rhythm. I hate seeing Kawhi jack up all these shots when he could easily pass, but the reason he's doing it is the same reason Kobe would. It's not about passing to your team and winning the game, it's about making sure your best player is firing on all cylinders come post season, even if that means tons of practice shots during the regular season. It's very different from Lebron who makes the smart passes during that game to get the win. Guys like Lebron and Blake Griffin play checkers, Kawhi and Kobe play chess. Kawhi looks to get a tough shot up against defenders for practice. Only problem, Shamet and others aren't benefiting from all the iso. If Kawhi passes more, he's not Kawhi. It's a tough dilemma and I'm not sure if I have the answer, although more touches and ball movement would be nice.

[50CalClips]

Doc admitted that was on him for not running enough plays for Shamet. He doesn't seem to be running any secondary plays either, just for his main 4.. which is usually more like 3 since there's always one superstar taking a night off...

Source?
I've been saying this since the jump. Paul George being out or not, Landry Shamet is KEY! I took it for granted (when looking forward into this season) that they would utilize Shamet like the sniper that he is, that he would be the 2nd or third option anytime he's no the court. He has Steph/Klay-like abilities, USE THEM! Optimize the team's capabilities by exploiting Shamet (and the 3-pt shot in general) -- why don't they see this?!?

Shamet is very hot or cold. He was the same way in Philly. There are games where he misses all game and then games where he goes like 6/7 from 3.

Shamet is gun shy in LA compared to in Philly I noticed.

You can make the argument that the ability to foster confidence is another quality Glen seems to lack.

Ya got Kawhi and George... so surround them with floor-spreaders!!! Design the strategy/philosophy of the team to where you make the most out of these two dominant forces. Inside-outside game... ball movement... 3-shooters... slasher/cutters. The Clippers should be a symphony.

Landry Shamet and the entire team's mind-set should have been clear and laid out coming into the season -- referring to the importance/focus on 3-shooting for 2020. The Shamet's, the Pat Bev's, the JaMychal's should've been primed and ready for being the 'sniper squad', if you will, and they've all regressed in that respect. WTF. That, clearly, has not been the focus.

Sidebar: Lou Will , I thought would take more of a backseat. His career 3pt% is okay, not great. So I thought/expected that his Attempts would take the biggest drop. But 40 games into this season he's averaging a very good 37.8%, a career high (it wasn't this good even a few weeks ago). So there your silver lining, I guess

[MartinToVaught]

Shamet was indeed injured and hasn't been right all year but no coach can wave a magic wand when a player's game goes into the toilet.

When said player's game has "gone into the toilet" from being used incorrectly, maybe it's time for the coach to do their job and adjust.

You can keep crying for trades, but trades aren't fixing anything when we have a coach who consistently fails to put their players in the best position to succeed.

[esqtvd]

Source?
I've been saying this since the jump. Paul George being out or not, Landry Shamet is KEY! I took it for granted (when looking forward into this season) that they would utilize Shamet like the sniper that he is, that he would be the 2nd or third option anytime he's no the court. He has Steph/Klay-like abilities, USE THEM! Optimize the team's capabilities by exploiting Shamet (and the 3-pt shot in general) -- why don't they see this?!?

Shamet is very hot or cold. He was the same way in Philly. There are games where he misses all game and then games where he goes like 6/7 from 3.

Shamet is gun shy in LA compared to in Philly I noticed.

You can make the argument that the ability to foster confidence is another quality Glen seems to lack.

Ya got Kawhi and George... so surround them with floor-spreaders!!! Design the strategy/philosophy of the team to where you make the most out of these two dominant forces. Inside-outside game... ball movement... 3-shooters... slasher/cutters. The Clippers should be a symphony.

Landry Shamet and the entire team's mind-set should have been clear and laid out coming into the season -- referring to the importance/focus on 3-shooting for 2020. The Shamet's, the Pat Bev's, the JaMychal's should've been primed and ready for being the 'sniper squad', if you will, and they've all regressed in that respect. WTF. That, clearly, has not been the focus.

Already did exactly what you asked. Bev's been bouncing back nicely over the past 10 games. Shamet, Harkless and often Green have sucked. Talk only helps so much. You gotta get the ball into the hole.

https://www.latimes.com/sports/clippers/story/2020-01-11/doc-rivers-makes-sure-the-clippers-know-their-roles-and-it-pays-off

On a drizzly day in Canada, hours before their final preseason game Oct. 22, Clippers players and coaches gathered in downtown Vancouver’s Shangri-La Hotel and waited for Doc Rivers to speak.

The coach went around the room, one player at a time, asking a question: What is your role?

“I was like, ‘physicality, defense, protecting the rim, offensive boards, set picks, roll hard,’” center Ivica Zubac said.

Rivers then added his own definition of each player’s role.

“Guys all say the right thing,” Rivers said, “but then they have to hear mine too.”

Several later called their meeting in Vancouver hotel’s conference room the preseason’s most important get-together.

“This group came together to win, so we got that out early,” George said. “We defined who we are as individuals, we saw the goal of who we want to be as a group, and we hashed it to start the season.

“At this point you got a veteran group with a Hall of Fame coach. We know what time it is and we know what we got to do.”

Out-in-the-open meetings are staples of Rivers’ coaching, but players who were around last season couldn’t recall one. Perhaps because, as center Johnathan Motley and guard Jerome Robinson theorized, a roster devoid of All-Stars needed everyone to do a little of everything to earn the Western Conference’s eighth and final playoff berth.

In contrast, the options and star power afforded by the current roster required a different approach, a division of labor the Clippers hope will be the blueprint for a deep postseason run. Guard Derrick Walton Jr. left the meeting with “clarity.”

“Winning trumps everything,” Walton said. “When you decide you want to win, a lot of stuff goes into that, with sacrifices and overall commitment. Once you decide that, there’s no turning back.”

During Patrick Patterson’s 10 years in the league, the forward often met with coaches individually to learn his role. One even placed in his locker a card on which his job was literally spelled out. But if such meetings are routine, what resonated was hearing roles talked through out loud.

“If someone messes up and if someone isn’t doing their role, well, each person knows what each role is,” Patterson said.

Nearing the regular season’s midway point, injuries and preventative rest have left Los Angeles rarely at full strength, leading Clippers to repeatedly refer to themselves as a “work in progress.” Guard Patrick Beverley called the lack of continuity “definitely a challenge.”

After a 28-point Clippers loss to Milwaukee in December, Leonard noted that “some of us don’t know the plays coming down, and it’s hard to get in our sets.” And after giving up 272 combined points to Memphis and New York last weekend, the team pinned many breakdowns on miscommunication.


Players acknowledged that there can be a natural temptation to fill the rotation’s voids by overcompensating. Staying within roles “never holds up 100% with any team,” Rivers said. “Some guys can’t do their role, and some guys move past their role, which is the guy you like.”

The Clippers’ role players “have done a pretty damn good job” sticking to the plan, Rivers said. He also acknowledged some roles — such as using secondary ballhandlers to initiate most of the offense because of the void at point guard — had put players in a difficult position.

“There’s guys that I’ve been unfair to, putting him at the point guard,” said Rivers, pointing to shooting guard Landry Shamet. “That’s tough for him. But right now we have so many guys out, you have to put him there and hope he can figure it out.”


Short-handed lineups won’t be the only challenge faced by the rotation. When the Clippers return to full strength, minutes will be doled out differently. That can lead to uncomfortable conversations between a coach and players whose roles shrink as the postseason nears.

[esqtvd]

Shamet was indeed injured and hasn't been right all year but no coach can wave a magic wand when a player's game goes into the toilet.

When said player's game has "gone into the toilet" from being used incorrectly, maybe it's time for the coach to do their job and adjust.

You can keep crying for trades, but trades aren't fixing anything when we have a coach who consistently fails to put their players in the best position to succeed.

You say Shamet's being used incorrectly. That is your opinion and you're entitled to it. But at this point, all you're doing is saying the same thing over and over about the coach.

Shamet and Harkless put up 6 points, 1 rebound and 2 assists combined in 45 minutes. Green was 1-4, Patterson did nothing either. Denver had 7 players in double figures; the Clips had 3. That is performance, not coaching. There will be roster moves.

[donemilio21]

Source?
I've been saying this since the jump. Paul George being out or not, Landry Shamet is KEY! I took it for granted (when looking forward into this season) that they would utilize Shamet like the sniper that he is, that he would be the 2nd or third option anytime he's no the court. He has Steph/Klay-like abilities, USE THEM! Optimize the team's capabilities by exploiting Shamet (and the 3-pt shot in general) -- why don't they see this?!?

Doc is taking a bullet for Shamet here. He's been crap since training camp.

Source: Doc's press conference two games ago.

Also, yes Landry hasn't looked aggressive at all. But that's also a result of the plays being called for him. You can see a lot of his passive nature comes more from just running the set and making sure the guy who is supposed to shoot, shoots. However, there are a ton of times Kawhi just doesn't pass it out to him when he and other teammates are open. That's the case with all the secondary players on our team right now.

Kawhi is taking all the shots, even against set good defenses, to get into his rhythm. I hate seeing Kawhi jack up all these shots when he could easily pass, but the reason he's doing it is the same reason Kobe would. It's not about passing to your team and winning the game, it's about making sure your best player is firing on all cylinders come post season, even if that means tons of practice shots during the regular season. It's very different from Lebron who makes the smart passes during that game to get the win. Guys like Lebron and Blake Griffin play checkers, Kawhi and Kobe play chess. Kawhi looks to get a tough shot up against defenders for practice. Only problem, Shamet and others aren't benefiting from all the iso. If Kawhi passes more, he's not Kawhi. It's a tough dilemma and I'm not sure if I have the answer, although more touches and ball movement would be nice.

I wish we could have convinced OKC to take Shamet and let us keep Shai. man....

[esqtvd]

I wish we could have convinced OKC to take Shamet and let us keep Shai. man....

Coming into the season, Shamet was looking kind of untouchable or at least a solid 25 mpg rotation guy. At the moment I don't know if he's even good trade bait.
_________________________
LATE ADD: whoa

if only Shamet had a better coach he'd be putting up numbers like these

Read on Twitter

[MartinRiggs]

Crazy stats.

[esqtvd]

Crazy stats.

I haven't given up on Shamet, who I think can still become a JJ Redick

but no way Landry will ever put up a game like this in his career



and I'll admit to having sold Shai a little short, but it was as a PG, how he was drafted
he's becoming a bigtime 2

[playaloc916]

I wish we could have convinced OKC to take Shamet and let us keep Shai. man....

Coming into the season, Shamet was looking kind of untouchable or at least a solid 25 mpg rotation guy. At the moment I don't know if he's even good trade bait.
_________________________
LATE ADD: whoa

if only Shamet had a better coach he'd be putting up numbers like these

Read on Twitter

Good god... It's like the Twilight Zone. I was expecting Shamet to be the one to take the huge leap and SGA to marginally improve... Instead SGA is the one with topics on the General Board while Shamet has actually regressed. And the other guy who we could've drafted, Porter Jr., is shaping up to be possibly be something special, while Jerome is, well, Jerome.

[MartinToVaught]

and I'll admit to having sold Shai a little short

A little short? You were defending Doc for starting Avery over him at the beginning of the season and continuing to give him more minutes even when Shai became a starter. You kept claiming that Shai hadn't "earned those minutes" over one of the worst players in the league.

[MartinToVaught]

Good god... It's like the Twilight Zone. I was expecting Shamet to be the one to take the huge leap and SGA to marginally improve... Instead SGA is the one with topics on the General Board while Shamet has actually regressed.

I wish I could say I'm surprised, but I'm not. OKC develops young talent, we don't. If Shamet had gone to OKC and SGA stayed here, it would be the same story in reverse.

[madmaxmedia]

Shamet was a key contributor for us last season even though we got him at the trade deadline. His regression this year is really unfortunate, I think all of us expected some sort of step forward. Statistically he's actually been okay (I last checked his averages a few days ago), I am still optimistic he will come around.

I also think he is still one of our better trade pieces.

[nickhx2]

imo he's probably really trying too hard on defense. and that's not a bad thing, but maybe he's too sapped on energy to do what he really wants to do on offense.

i do think his shooting mechanics are off as well. hopefully he figures it out.

[esqtvd]

and I'll admit to having sold Shai a little short

A little short? You were defending Doc for starting Avery over him at the beginning of the season and continuing to give him more minutes even when Shai became a starter. You kept claiming that Shai hadn't "earned those minutes" over one of the worst players in the league.

Shai played most of his minutes BESIDE Avery until he was traded. It was never either/or. You are wrong AGAIN. As usual.

[NippySudz]

I was wrong on Shai too. I said he'd be a fringe all star but he has the make up to be more than that.

Sent from my LM-Q710(FGN) using Tapatalk

[esqtvd]

I was wring on Shai too. I said he'd be a fringe all star but he has the make upto be more than that.

Just where I had him, maybe topping out at 15-17 ppg. But that was as a PG. I think it's turning out that he's a far better scoring wingman than anybody expected, and might be more valuable doing that.