so, who wants to talk about our defense?

[nickhx2]

I don't think anyone could have thought it'd be this good this early on, especially after losing cole. But here we are consistently shutting teams down hard.

From the starters, i think obviously blake being back is the biggest thing (because that means no more pierce starting). But also reading the oc register today, they even mentioned that the starters are still trying to get used to the core 4 + luc on the defensive side (wrt p/r defense). So it seems like there is actually a lot more room to improve on that end which is tantalizing.

As for the bench, to my amateur eye i think felton being solid, austin being good, speights being better than advertised, and wes johnson being more active than last year have helped the team a lot. I'd say crawford is still terrible on defense, but somehow he's not being as attacked and exposed the way i'm used to seeing. Well, that's besides him being on the court in crunch time, which is another story. I'm not entirely sold that a bench lineup with those names should continue to defend the way they have been, and the moment paul pierce starts taking wes johnson's minutes that can all change dramatically.

I also wonder aloud if the team's jump is simply a function of +blake, -pierce, and all the bench stuff is actually irrelevant. But for now we're in a great spot.

What do you guys think?

[QRich3]

While I love what we're seeing, I think we should be careful not to take this as the final product. It's been just 6 games and 4 of those were against bad offensive teams, so our DRtg should come back to earth. I'll be happy if we can be a top 5 defense again when the season's over.

Other than that, I mostly agree with what you're saying, and I also want to give endless amounts of credit to JJ Redick's defense, the guy is everywhere and is looking like an actual defensive stopper nowadays, to my naked eye he's the main difference from years past. That and we're actually utilizing DJ's defensive strengths with this system. I have to say DJ is still prone to making mistakes in long defensive possessions when he has to adjust on the fly and/or rotate several times, but it's way fewer and smaller than it used to. Blake being able to switch against smaller players is a definite improvement from last year, and Luc is just awesome in every facet of NBA defense. Have to shout out Wes' smart gambling and Austin general solidness in the 2nd unit too.

Now this is not for this thread, but I'm worried about our offense... even in the Spurs game when everything was going in, it does not look fluid and I'm not sure if it's easily fixable.

[nickhx2]

i can't say i've noticed jj be anything more than the solid defender he usually is. but if he really is improved that is pretty nifty. i do agree that dj still makes the same mistakes he used to. i just don't see playoff defense dj in him right now, except in random moments. was hoping he'd be next level because of the olympics but that hasn't seemed to have happened yet.

i do agree, also, that we'll need several more games to figure out where the team really stands on defense. but thus far we gotta be happy with the results.

and yeah i have some concerns about the offense. but didn't the team start pretty slowly 1 or 2 years ago as well?

[og15]

Well the change from the hedge and recover from back in 13-14 and 14-15 was a big deal. It meant that DJ was staying in the paint more, it meant that the team was not relying on a tiring defensive system that is ideally effective with athletic mobile wings, and since last season it has meant solid defense.

Remember that despite being 4th or 5th or whatever last season, after Luc as inserted into the starting lineup, the Clippers were 3rd in Drtg for the remaining 67 games, and Paul Pierce started the majority of those games. The biggest thing that was holding the defense back last season was defensive rebounding which was primarily an issue with the bench.

The team looks like it has the makings of a top 3 defense, and I think staggering the lineups will be very helpful because it will limit the amount of really small lineups that the team is trotting out. We'll definitely check back after 15, 20, 25 games and see where it is all trending.

[Ranma]

Team defense has been possibly my biggest criticism of Doc. I'm hesitant to buy into this being the real deal despite desperately wanting it to be given the false starts and empty promises we've had in the past. However, if it does turn out to be a sustained level of excellence for the long-term, I'd be very encouraged for our chances in the postseason.

Defense is the foundation upon which a championship ballclub is traditionally built. I expect our offense to come along naturally given the talent involved and the familiarity of the core in place. Injuries would obviously be a major concern but that can't be helped, whereas defensive effort and execution should be something that is within control. We'll see how this plays out this season and into the playoffs.

[Ranma]

i can't say i've noticed jj be anything more than the solid defender he usually is. but if he really is improved that is pretty nifty.

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[Ranma]

I also wonder aloud if the team's jump is simply a function of +blake, -pierce, and all the bench stuff is actually irrelevant. But for now we're in a great spot.

What do you guys think?

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[Dynamix]

I don't want to talk about it because I'm afraid it will jinx it.

[QRich3]

i can't say i've noticed jj be anything more than the solid defender he usually is. but if he really is improved that is pretty nifty. i do agree that dj still makes the same mistakes he used to. i just don't see playoff defense dj in him right now, except in random moments. was hoping he'd be next level because of the olympics but that hasn't seemed to have happened yet.

i do agree, also, that we'll need several more games to figure out where the team really stands on defense. but thus far we gotta be happy with the results.

and yeah i have some concerns about the offense. but didn't the team start pretty slowly 1 or 2 years ago as well?

Yeah man, it seems we've started slow every year since Doc's been here, this one being the exception so far.

About JJ, it's not that he's improved that much this season, it's been a gradual thing with him and he was already pretty good, it's just that he never makes a mistake on defense now. He's always where he needs to be when he needs to be, he can hold his own in 1-on-1 chances, which he didn't use to, he covers for others so quickly and decisively, and it just grabs your attention how good he is now.

With DJ, honestly he's now better than I ever hoped he would, he's gonna make mistakes when he has to maintain focus for too long, but just by how big and quick he is, he is now one of the most impactful defensive players in the league, just by not doing anything stupid. Obviously when/if we play the Warriors in the postseason he's gonna have trouble with all the ball movement and the 2nd/3rd offensive actions after several screens, but just by not risking anything and staying near the basket he'll be very important for us.

Only downside there is, is that the defense being this good is quite dependent on Luc, and I'm not sure we're gonna be able to play him against good teams in the postseason because of his offense.

[mkwest]

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[illastrate]

I mean, Clips were 6th last season in DRtg, so it's not farfetched to think they can remain in the top 5. The good thing is their DRtg is way ahead of the 2nd best team that any eventual slippage won't cause them to slide much.

[TucsonClip]

Well the change from the hedge and recover from back in 13-14 and 14-15 was a big deal. It meant that DJ was staying in the paint more, it meant that the team was not relying on a tiring defensive system that is ideally effective with athletic mobile wings, and since last season it has meant solid defense.

Remember that despite being 4th or 5th or whatever last season, after Luc as inserted into the starting lineup, the Clippers were 3rd in Drtg for the remaining 67 games, and Paul Pierce started the majority of those games. The biggest thing that was holding the defense back last season was defensive rebounding which was primarily an issue with the bench.

The team looks like it has the makings of a top 3 defense, and I think staggering the lineups will be very helpful because it will limit the amount of really small lineups that the team is trotting out. We'll definitely check back after 15, 20, 25 games and see where it is all trending.

Yeah, that was a key area of focus last season. We moved away from Thibs defense and more of what is in tune with elite defensive teams now, especially with DJ turning into a legitimate defensive monster.

Sagging off PNR action keeps DJ closer to the rim, where he can have much more of an impact. This season, the biggest thing I have seen early has been Blake being healthy, which has allowed us to switch a lot more. That has been key to our defensive success, because Blake is locked in and definitely having the best start to a season I remember, at least defensively.

I havent been able to watch in more detail with some new responsibilities. However, Felton has been really good on the ball off the bench and Austin continues to show his defensive value in the face of everyone who has said the opposite the last two years (which is still hilarious). The bench has allowed our defense to surge, which is something we have all been looking for the last four years.

[nickhx2]

yeah, i think what i'd say i notice the most is the blake thing.

blake being able to switch constantly allows for us to keep a literal body on someone who is hunting for a screen. players get reduced to having to deal with 1 good defender, at minimum, and i just don't see a lot of stuff being given up for free vs half court offenses.

like, luc obviously is a great defender. so is dj. but either of them constantly having to make up for paul pierce breakdowns causes them (or anyone starting) to have to play more vulnerable forms of defense. this time around i am constantly seeing luc get matched up in a one on one matchup and being able to focus his guy down instead of having to do more than necessary.

it's great

[TucsonClip]

The switching also limits how many rotations we need to make during each possession. The starters were great the last few years at flying through rotations all over the court, however the bench was dismal. Sub Crawford or Pierce in there last year and there are plenty of missed rotations and guys getting beat off the bounce.

Not only can the starters switch defensively, but having Wes play the 4 off the bench provides that unit the opportunity to do the same.

Finally, I have noticed that teams arent isoing a bunch against Crawford yet, or isolating him in sets. Amazing what having an actual reserve PG on the roster can do, even despite the fact I had no faith we would see this version of Felton when we signed him.

[nickhx2]

i've noticed the same. teams aren't constantly attacking him the way they used to. not sure if that's something teams just don't think is important enough, but i assume smart teams will settle onto that option by default if the rest of the defense remains stout.

[mkwest]

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[nickhx2]

yeah thought that was funny.

[Ranma]

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Kevin O'Connor, TheRinger.com (11/14/16)

This group has done a good job of putting the ball in the basket, but it’s the defense that sets them apart. The lineup has posted a tremendous 91.1 defensive rating, switching screens 1 through 4, and sometimes 1 through 5. “I knew we’d be one of the top offenses in the league,” Austin Rivers recently told the Los Angeles Daily News. “On defense, I didn’t know how we were going to be. I thought we would maybe struggle. The fact that we’re [first] in the league right now is [expletive] shocking.”

Get By With a Little Help From Your Bench

[og15]

Still killing it, and now the offense is 4th in Ortg at 112. Defense is giving up something line 94.7 pts/100

[nickhx2]

the team's poor drtg