Currently sitting at the eighth spot in the Western Conference, the Los Angeles Clippers have held their own this season in spite of having to deal with several injuries. Their tenacious defense and team-centric approach to the game have allowed them to come away with some big wins this year and knock off some of the best squads in the league even without franchise superstars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to lead the way for them.
Although they’d been doing well enough to stay in the playoff mix up to this point, the Clippers know that they’ll need more muscle if they want to avoid the play-in tournament and continue to climb the ranks of the Western Conference. The recent additions of Norman Powell and Robert Covington will definitely alter their season outlook – especially if PG13 is able to come back healthy in time for the playoffs. So without further ado, we’ll now take a look at two ways the Clippers have improved after acquiring Powell and Covington via trade.
New Clippers. Who this?
Norman Powell and Robert Covington’s elite defensive efforts will be a major asset for the Clippers
Between their athleticism, length, speed, and versatility, Powell and Covington will be the perfect fit in Tyronn Lue’s defensive sets and fill out the Clippers rotation nicely. There’s no question that these two will be able to disrupt the passing lanes of opposing offenses while adding top-notch rim protection and contributing to their gang rebounding efforts. Plus with their smash mouth style of basketball, Powell and Covington are a couple of hard-nosed defensive studs that Los Angeles could use more of with Leonard and George out injured.
Adding the likes of Powell and Covington to a rotation that already features Reggie Jackson, Terrence Mann, Marcus Morris, Luke Kennard Ivica Zubac, Amir Coffey, Serge Ibaka, and Nicolas Batum will give them quality depth and one of the league’s most complete rosters. It’ll also give them the ultimate luxury of having a solid mix of youth and veteran play while they await the return of the Klaw and PG13.
Los Angeles will have a more versatile scoring attack
With the multifaceted scoring punch of Norman Powell coming to the bright lights of Hollywood, this will give them another elite combo guard to play alongside Jackson and Kennard who can come through in the clutch with his electric 3-point shooting, playmaking, and slashing abilities.
Add to that the timely scoring punch that Morris, Mann, Coffey, and Batum have brought for the Clips on a nightly basis and they’ll suddenly have one of the most dynamic offenses in the NBA. Not to mention a big man rotation featuring Robert Covington, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Zubac would give the Clippers a lethal combination of multi-skilled big men.
RoCo would also give LA a reliable power forward with a proven ability to excel at the center spot in small-ball line-ups. The additions of Powell and Covington undoubtedly have added an exciting new element to the Clippers offense, and if they’re hoping to avoid the play-in tournament then these are two players who are more than capable of helping them achieve this.
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