There’s a lot of intrigue with this LA Clippers team, but there’s also a lot of noise concerning them from the outside looking in. This front office was thrown on the grill to make some quick decisions to reshuffle this roster and piece it together to make it a playoff contender in the Western Conference right after the free agency period when Paul George and Russell Westbrook had departed.
That is precisely what they did by adding names like Kris Dunn, Kevin Porter Jr., Nic Batum, Derrick Jones Jr., and Mo Bamba. The supporting cast was extended, although Kawhi Leonard and James Harden remained the cornerstones of the franchise, but these supporting players gave the stars a much firmer foundation to work with.
These new additions also pointed toward the Clippers having a resurgence in defensive identity. Many of these new role players came in with a reputation of being strong defenders, and it became obvious that LA would take a step in the right direction regarding that department this season. That sentiment only became more glaring when Jeff Van Gundy was announced as Ty Lue’s defensive coordinator.
But it wasn’t until Saturday night, in the Clippers’ first preseason game against the Golden State Warriors, that the most important moment of their transformation into the hard-nosed defensive team happened. Yes, LA lost a close contest that came down to the wire, but they also showed up with strong defensive chops, proving just what kind of ceiling they will have on that side of the ball.
The Clippers forced 20 Warriors turnovers
Obviously, one preseason game is not the end-all, be-all for this team. But the Clippers’ performance here could end up being a solid preview of what we see from them all season. LA forced 20 Golden State turnovers in the game, holding their opponent to a dismal 33.7% shooting mark for the entire contest.
The Clippers turned what should have been a light, carefree preseason matchup into a chippy, defensive affair. Only one of the Warriors starters shot better than 43 percent, and none reached double-figures. Steph Curry was 0-for-4 beyond the arc.
LA also held Golden State to just 18-for-41 shooting in the paint and gave them just 19 attempts at the free throw line. The list of defensive benchmarks goes on and on. The Clippers made life incredibly difficult for a Warriors team that could have a high-powered offense.
There’s only so much that can be taken away from 48 minutes of preseason play. But if the Clippers showed us anything, it’s that they will have the capability to be game-changers at the defensive end with their high-level team defense.
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