Los Angeles Clippers 2022-23 Season Preview
Los Angeles Clippers 2022-23 Season Preview
Kawhi & Paul George return to a revamped lineup.
Welcome to the 2022-23 previews for every NBA team! These breakdowns are designed to look at stats, film & anything I found interesting in my preparation for the upcoming NBA season.
If you liked this breakdown feel free to share it & if you have any other scenarios, plays, or thoughts on any future breakdowns let me know in the comments below!
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Note: if you are reading this in the e-mail-only form some of the gifs and videos do not always show up correctly.
Stats
2021-22 Record: 42-40
Net Rating: +0.5 (17th)
Offense Rating: 110.5 (24th)
Good
Returning Kawhi & healthy Paul George, the Clippers’ offense should be back to its normal high efficiency as they have ranked in the top-5 in offense when he has played.
Ok
They are one of the highest mid-range shooting teams, but when you have Kawhi it makes a good amount of sense.
Ugly
While they shoot a ton of mid-range and an average amount of 3’s, the Clippers ranked 26th in getting to the rim with Kawhi out, and 28th last year. Improving downhill drives will help elevate this offense to unstoppable.
Defensive Rating: 110.0 (7th)
Good
Creating a top-10 defense in both of his seasons as head coach, Ty Lue returns what is possibly the most wing-heavy & switchable lineup we have ever seen in the NBA. The combinations of Kawhi/PG/Powell/Morris/Covington/Jackson/Batum/Wall/Mann mean the Clippers have switchable size even if one player is having an off night or if the matchup calls for anything specific. I am REALLY looking forward to watching their small-ball lineups and how this flexibility plays out on the court.
Ok
The Clippers did a great job by not fouling their opponents and giving them free opportunities at the line, but they also did not force a ton of turnovers. It will be curious to see if they get more aggressive with certain schemes because their length and versatility could give teams issues.
Ugly
Rebounding was an issue last year, ranking 26th in the NBA allowing teams to grab back 28% of their misses. This is obviously an issue with playing no big lineups at times, but I expect this to tick up this season.
Film
Chin
The first play for Kawhi was “Chin” or a backscreen into a ballscreen. When the Trail Blazers switched Nurkic (I won’t even get started on the weirdness of the Trail Blazers’ defense), Kawhi ISOs and hits the 3.
5-Out Guard Guard Ballscreens
When the Clippers go to their small ball wing lineups, they will get creative with ballscreens and using guards.
Sometimes this action will be designed, and other times this will be random in flow offense.
5-Out Kawhi Ballscreen
Kawhi can also set the ballscreen and allow the player handling the ball to attack or look to get a specific switch and allow Kawhi to ISO and create.
21 Kawhi
While 21/Pistol is a super common early action in offenses, the Clippers will try and find a weak defender and set this action up to get a switch for Kawhi. This is a simple ballscreen on the wing targeting smaller guards so Kawhi can back down and ISO.
C Knicks (Kawhi/PG)
A special set that Ty Lue ran in Cleveland for LeBron, this set is similar to 21 action with the targeted ballscreen on the wing.
In this example, in the preseason the Clippers target Simons by having Reggie Jackson set the ballscreen for Kawhi. This initial action is a quick swing with some decoy action to not allow the defense to adjust or preswitch.
Elbow ISO (Kawhi/PG)
A simple way to create space for Kawhi & Paul George is to pass the ball to the elbow and have them operate in space to attack 1 on 1. Both these players tend to operate out of the elbow with the ballside corner empty and players spaced on the other side.
A way they get this ball to the elbow is a simple ball reversal so the player can cat without a dribble and attack.
Strong (Kawhi/PG)
Simple, quick-hitting double-screen action for both Kawhi & Paul George allow them opportunities to catch and shoot or attack off the bounce.
If you liked this breakdown feel free to share it & if you have any other scenarios, plays, or thoughts on any future breakdowns let me know in the comments below!
🏀Resources:
Basketball Playbooks | Coaching Clinics | Coaching Membership | Newsletter
👉🏻Follow:
🔎Explore:
5-Out Breakdowns | Space & Pace Clinic | NCAA “Delay” Series Playbook
Note: if you are reading this in the e-mail-only form some of the gifs and videos do not always show up correctly.
Outwork Yesterday.
Coach Pyper