HOUSTON — Clippers rookie guard Darius Garland stood a few feet away from the bench in street clothes, trying to blend in while coaches urged players to keep up with the struggling Rockets. Minutes later, Garland shuffled behind the pillars and spoke to sideline reporters while watching his team play. On both occasions, both during and after the first-quarter timeout, Garland was focused on what was happening in front of him.
The 26-year-old is not an impressive figure by any means. He is soft-spoken and has a gentle nature. But his presence is felt. Garland means a lot of things to the new-look Clippers — the departures of James Harden and Ivica Zubac, the demise of one of the hottest franchises in the NBA and a shift in the franchise’s model.
advertise
“It’s not easy,” veteran guard Nick Batum told Yahoo Sports after his team’s 102-95 loss. “Especially when you trade away big chunks. But what we got was pretty huge, too. You still have to do your job, but it’s definitely going to be an adjustment.”
[Subscribe to Yahoo Sports NBA on YouTube]
Tuesday night’s environment painted a quiet picture amid the rather noisy backdrop of the trade deadline and the entire season. The coming weeks and months — while the Clippers are still under league investigation for possible salary cap circumvention related to Kawhi Leonard — could be critical to the franchise’s future. Over the next few days, the entire basketball world will gather at the Intuit Dome for All-Star Weekend, and this team will once again be in the national spotlight.
But at least for now, at the center of the storm, basketball is their focus.
advertise
“We love playing basketball,” Leonard said with a rare smile as he scored 19 points in the fourth quarter to beat the Rockets 105-102 on the second night of a back-to-back in Houston on Wednesday. “Guys keep their heads in the game, they want to compete, and that’s what we do. … No matter who we play, every win is important to us because we’re seeded now. We have to move up the rankings and try to get out of the playoffs. This is our season.”
Leonard’s heroics (he finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and four steals) propelled the Clippers to an impressive 3-1 record since the Feb. 5 trade deadline — a period that was supposed to mark a shift from expectations. Back-to-back games against the same opponent are rare on the NBA schedule, but they allow teams to strengthen their near-term goals. For Lue, a championship coach with more than 15 years of experience, roster turnover is not an unfamiliar concept, and his goals don’t change based on who plays or doesn’t play.
“Just need to get a feel for what the new guys are doing,” Lue said. “How they play, try to let them be themselves within the confines of our offense and our defense. … Our expectation is still to win and win at a high level. Come out and compete every night and compete hard. No matter who’s on the field.”
advertise
As far as the new roster is concerned — with the additions of Brook Lopez and Derrick Jones Jr. (and Kris Dunn until Garland returns) — Los Angeles’ identity is being forged on the defensive end. The Clippers rank fourth in defensive efficiency since the deadline, allowing just 107.3 points per 100 possessions. Yes, the sample size is extremely small, but there’s no reason to suggest performance in this area will drop significantly as the Dunn-Jones-Leonard-John Collins-Lopez team adds more games. It’s everything you can ask for in a locked-down lineup; Dunn as a physical point-of-attack defender; Jones and Collins as disruptors in moving passing lanes; Lopez as a linebacker and Leonard as a finisher, all-around irritant. They wreaked havoc at every level, forcing turnovers while their opponents had nearly 20 percent of the ball. The Clippers forced the Rockets into 39 turnovers in 48 hours. They’re annoying, annoying, and right in your face.
“We were able to blitz and cause chaos,” Lue said. “Take advantage of gaps to make steals, comebacks and get out in transition. Be physical, protect the paint and understand the game plan. When we turn teams over, we’re a different team.”
However, the offense leaves a lot to be desired. In this league, nothing is guaranteed from one season to another, but in the blink of an eye, the Clippers went from an emerging offensive juggernaut to an offensive powerhouse. this,IMHO. A healthy Garland should help provide more energy in the pick-and-roll and create the best shooting opportunities for teammates. Bennedict Mathurin was part of the trade that sent Zubac to Indiana, giving the Clippers another shot creator in addition to being a reliable point-of-attack defender.
advertise
But the one constant, Kawhi, is still awesome. Leonard is experiencing a renaissance campaign by LeBron’s metric, which ranks fifth in NBA possessions per 100 possessions behind MVP candidates Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembunyama and Cade Cunningham. Leonard quietly posted ridiculous 28/6/4 stats on the cusp of a 50-40-90 season. According to Stathead, Leonard is the only player in the NBA to average that level of efficiency, let alone a .619 true shooting percentage. There were reports that the team called to inquire about his availability after Harden and Zubac left, but was quickly rejected. Even at 34 years old, he’s proven to be a true scorer, defensive back and finisher.
Who knows what the immediate future will look like for the Clippers pairing Leonard and Garland. Even if Los Angeles gets a young player who has yet to reach his prime, the decision to move on from Harden doesn’t come without risk. Will this move become a domino effect that attracts more talent? Then again, we’re still talking about a team that sent a future Hall of Famer home on a road trip and has yet to receive a verdict of alleged financial misconduct.
There’s a lot going on with the Clippers right now, which makes the upcoming All-Star break even more interesting.
