Training Camp/Preseason 2022

[esqtvd]

Meet your 2021-22 Clippers!

[esqtvd]

[clipsfever]

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[Kelphus]

I like this squad.

Let's set the table until Daddy Kawhi comes in to finish things

[KL2]

It’s so beautiful to see.

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Hmm. Mann in the 6th man role?

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[clipsfever]

CF's preliminary thoughts on a rotation begin with a 5 of Reggie, PG, Morris, Zubac and either TMann or Batum

(Regardless, could see a lot of that position-less switching with Morris or Batum at Fake-Center if Ibaka isn't ready and Giles-enstein hasn't emerged behind Zu with Ibaka out)

[Bobbymcgee]

So PG is moving back to SF. Makes sense. Bledsoe is a veteran, didn't think he would be satisfied coming off the bench.

[TrueLAfan]

That's all of our PGs on the court at once as starters. We either expect something out of Preston, or think Winslow is fairly healthy, or will pull either Reggie or Bled pretty fast to run the second team.

[og15]

Summer is great because I don't get any reported post warnings. While I will dislike the likely incoming post reports, the joy of Clippers basketball will drown that out. A lot of interesting situations to monitor this season.

Reggie / Bledsoe as the two guard backcourt does work. Bledsoe plays bigger than his size, and they compliment each other well in terms of shooting and slashing. In general, it should be a better set-up to get more out of Bledsoe. A nice screen setting big man and three players who are shooters alongside him for a lot of his minutes should get good production out of him.

[KL2]

It’s hard to grab all the tweets so I’ll post quick notes.

Lue says team is fully vaccinated.

Leonard is rehabbing in San Diego. (Did he mean somewhere else from the team?)

Team has golf and fishing trips planned this week.

Boston believes he can score on anybody and describes himself as a bucket. Says he doesn’t have any rookie duties yet but if Bev was still around he would have.

Lue is impressed with the athleticism of Giles and Hartenstein has developed some chemistry with the team. Especially Kennard. Says looming decision will be tough.

Morris is 100% healthy and didn’t require surgery in off season.

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[clipsfever]

Sure.

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[esqtvd]

Sure.

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I remain skeptical even at $4M and not the full MLE as originally reported: he's never got his offensive game together and we can only hope he can overcome his injury history and at least get his D back. He did neither in 26 games for the Grizz with an appalling 35%/19% and an 82/110 OFF/DEF rating.

We shall hope for the best. Pretty much he's been a disaster on offense but his D at Miami was plus and sometimes even plus-plus.

DEC 2020:
https://www.grizzlybearblues.com/2020/12/9/22163852/justise-winslow-mr-positionless-basketball-memphis-grizzlies-nba


PG

Offensively, he was less than desirable as far as the team’s pace and efficiency despite some high scoring games, but playing at the point defensively is where the advantage truly shined. Winslow was in the 99th percentile in defensive rating, 97th percentile in eFG%, 94th percentile in turnovers created and 98th percentile in offensive rebounding. While Winslow will certainly grow as an offensive player, as he has yet to hit his prime, his defensive numbers at the 1 are gaudy.

2/3

Winslow has had some time in the backcourt as the off guard while with the Miami Heat. His total +/- at the two over his career is an astronomical +59.6, but context certainly matters as the majority of his time in that role came in 2018-19 when he was a +6.4. Playing off ball in 2018-19 was such a vast difference offensively than when he ran the point. He went from the 13th percentile to the 75th in offensive rating and from 27th percentile to the 95th in eFG%. His defensive rating decreased but was still in the top quarter of the league while leading the league in offensive rebound rate by opponent.

PF

In Miami, he was an overall +11 at the power forward position and was in the 93rd percentile his sophomore year playing 25% of his minutes there for a +9.3. In his first two seasons, he was in the 90th and 89th percentile in defensive rating and 89th and 97th percentile in opponent eFG%. The numbers show he can defend at a very high level at any position.

Offensively, power forward has been his worst position for both offensive rating and eFG%. While he has the strength to bang with the bigger power forwards, he is not explosive enough as an athlete to regularly blow by his opponent at the position. His value at the four is his playmaking and ability to spread the floor.

C

The Miami Heat center experiment with Justise Winslow was a very small and unsuccessful sample size. In the few minutes he received at the five in South Beach, he was a -77.9, which is bad enough for Jenkins to never really experiment with it. However, there could still be opportunity and value to Winslow running the five against second units or against a small ball revolution team like the Houston Rockets.

[clipsfever]

I do kind of dig Coach Lu's mad scientist experiment on Winslow though... our talent glut appears to be at 2-3-4, so why not insert him as a PG/C where he can still play defense while being a match-up wildcard for the opposition...

IE see if we can use him ahead of Preston and Giles-enstein in the rotation... his minutes coming not at the expense of Mann, Kennard, Batum in a 9/10 man rotation.

Reggie - Winslow
Bled - Kennard
PG - Mann
Morris - Batum
Zu - (Ibaka/Winslow)

[madmaxmedia]

We've done good with reclamation type pick ups, and have a couple more this year. Let's hope that at least 1 pans out.

I think Bledsoe is by far the most likely to have a bounce back year, Giles perhaps the least likely but doesn't cost us anything. If Giles-enstein only has to give us 3rd string type minutes, I feel hopeful one will work out.

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[KL2]

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Nice, but these days I'm thinking point guards are born, not made. Can't think of anyone who made the transition even with the best coaching: Miami tried it with Justise, we couldn't do it with T-Mann, and even though we drafted Shai as a PG, it didn't really take.

Pat Bev too. And Bledsoe was drafted as a PG. Just not a 1 by court vision or temperament.

_____________________

ADD: According to Basketball Reference, Bledsoe has played 87% of his NBA minutes at PG, with an assists-to-turnover ratio under 2-1 [4.7/2.5] and even more putrid in 3 years as a Clipper. Even in his best season he averaged 5.4/3.2 per 36 minutes.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bledser01.html

[clipsfever]

Zoinks! There's a game tomorrow... that came on fast

[KL2]

Nice, but these days I'm thinking point guards are born, not made.

Versatility is the word this season. Not sure they’re trying to turn him into a pg but maybe using this technique to get him (and others) up to speed on the plays. And to build trust in having the ball in everyone’s hands. Lue mentioned wanting to take some of the pressure off George to create fir every one. Sure, Johnson probably won’t be that guy this season but good to start them early on.

[madmaxmedia]

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Nice, but these days I'm thinking point guards are born, not made. Can't think of anyone who made the transition even with the best coaching: Miami tried it with Justise, we couldn't do it with T-Mann, and even though we drafted Shai as a PG, it didn't really take.

Pat Bev too. And Bledsoe was drafted as a PG. Just not a 1 by court vision or temperament.

_____________________

ADD: According to Basketball Reference, Bledsoe has played 87% of his NBA minutes at PG, with an assists-to-turnover ratio under 2-1 [4.7/2.5] and even more putrid in 3 years as a Clipper. Even in his best season he averaged 5.4/3.2 per 36 minutes.

https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/b/bledser01.html

I think PG competency can be made, but being a great PG requires a mix of attributes not everyone has.