The Los Angeles Clippers are one of the league’s best offenses, so even without Blake Griffin for the last nine games they have managed to run wild through fortunately mediocre competition en route to nine straight victories. Having the league’s best point guard and a shooting guard on a career year is surely helping their cause.
Chris Paul‘s influence on the Clippers since he arrived has been immeasurable. The eight-time All-Star is putting the team on his back once again. Paul is scoring 19.8 points and dishing out 9.6 assists per game, second in the NBA in the latter category, with the sixth leading PER at an absurd 24.34. His shooting percentages are down from his typical numbers, but he is still averaging two steals per game, a number that the league has become accustomed to for one its best defensive guards.
Paul’s real plus-minus ranks fourth among point guards, just behind fellow All-Stars Stephen Curry, Russell Westbrook and Kyle Lowry. Most importantly, Paul accounts for a plus-17 point differential per 100 possessions while on the court for the Clippers. The only player who has been more valuable this season is his backcourt mate, J.J. Redick.
Redick is having the best season of his career, shooting the lights out from downtown like usual, but this year he has taken it to another level. Redick is second in three-point shooting (48.1 percent) and third in true shooting percentage (64.1 percent), further cementing his status as one of the league’s elite shooters. But Redick’s contributions go beyond the individual, as he has been of huge value to his team as well.
The Clippers have played their best offense in the 956 minutes with the sharpshooter on the court — an offensive rating of 113.8 — but that same number dips all the way to a 97 in the 926 minutes when Redick has been sitting. He has a greater net rating than anyone else on the team, accounting for a plus-20.8 points per 100 possessions differential, an incredible number that makes him indispensable to the Clippers’ championship hopes. Only Paul and DeAndre Jordan come close.
Much is made of Jordan’s epic free-throw struggles, which will always follow him around, but he’s doing everything the Clippers expect of him. Jordan is dominating the paint on both ends, leading the league in field goal percentage (71.5 percent), second in rebounding (13.4) and third in blocks (2.4). His value can’t be understated, as he’s first among centers in real plus-minus, seventh overall among all players in RPM wins, and the Clippers score a pathetic 95.4 points per 100 possessions when he is not on the court. Jordan gets all the attention for his defensive contributions, but if it wasn’t for his offensive dominance the Clippers wouldn’t be a title contender.
At full strength, there is no team more talented than the Clippers. They play the Golden State Warriors better than any team in the NBA, and they are packed with experience and a championship-winning head coach. So far they have done well to stay on that course, remaining at the top of the Western Conference and playing an excellent balance of offense and defense.
Grade: A
