Looking forward to the second half of the season, it's the defense that's been slack. Kawhi has been coasting, certainly not taking the toughest defensive assignment as is his custom in the playoffs. In fact, Ty has been throwing Mann at some of those matchups; throwing the youngest guy on one of the league's oldest teams certainly makes sense.
More from Coach, via Greif at The Times:
We have a great 1-2 punch,” Lue said Wednesday. “I think, we’re definitely better defensively, we’re better offensively. And PG playing with that second unit has given us a great spark this year. So when one of those guys are out, it kind of messes our rotations up more than anything. But we need those guys to play.”
Playing short-handed has hurt the Clippers defensively more than offensively. The Clippers can usually backfill with capable shooters, if not players at the same level as shot creators. Of the 10 Clippers taking at least 2.8 three-pointers per game, eight are shooting 38% or better.
Finding defenders to compensate for the absences of George, Leonard and Beverley is more difficult. Yet it’s just one factor why the Clippers rank 23rd in points per play allowed in the halfcourt, per Cleaning The Glass, and allow the third-most points against pick-and-roll ballhandlers, per Synergy.
When Lue has been most frustrated, it has stemmed less from his team failing to reach its considerable defensive ceiling and more from his team not doing what he considers to be the non-negotiable minimum on that end. Based on possession data, NBA advanced statistics estimate the Clippers should be two points per 100 possessions better defensively than they have been.
It would help to have his three difference-makers available on defense. But no matter who is on the court, Lue expects more in the second half. Taking the defensive challenge, Lue said in late February, is “one thing we have to do especially if you want to be a championship team.”
“First thing is just the mentality,” Lue said Tuesday. “I think having a defensive mentality, every single night, is going to be key for us. Like, we have the defenders to do it, on a night-to-night basis. And we got to have the mentality to start the game and finish the game with the same mentality.”
