Los Angeles
Clippers ROSTER
24-12 • 3rd in WESTERN CONFERENCE
| NAME | POS | AGE | SALARY | HT | WT | COLLEGE | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #7 | Amir Coffey | G-F | 23 | N/A | 6' 7" | 210 lbs | MINNESOTA | |
| #10 | Daniel Oturu | C | 21 | N/A | 6' 8" | 240 lbs | MINNESOTA | |
| #40 | Ivica Zubac | C | 23 | $6,481,482 | 7' 0" | 240 lbs | N/A | |
| #4 | Jay Scrubb | G | 20 | N/A | 6' 5" | 220 lbs | JOHN A. LOGAN COLLEGE | |
| #2 | Kawhi Leonard | F | 29 | $32,742,000 | 6' 7" | 225 lbs | SAN DIEGO STATE | |
| #23 | Lou Williams | G | 34 | $8,000,000 | 6' 1" | 175 lbs | N/A | |
| #5 | Luke Kennard | G | 24 | $3,827,160 | 6' 5" | 206 lbs | DUKE | |
| #8 | Marcus Morris | F | 31 | $15,000,000 | 6' 8" | 218 lbs | KANSAS | |
| #25 | Mfiondu Kabengele | F-C | 23 | $1,977,000 | 6' 9" | 250 lbs | FLORIDA STATE | |
| #33 | Nicolas Batum | G-F | 32 | $25,565,217 | 6' 8" | 230 lbs | N/A | |
| #21 | Patrick Beverley | G | 32 | $12,345,679 | 6' 1" | 180 lbs | ARKANSAS | |
| #54 | Patrick Patterson | F | 31 | $2,331,593 | 6' 8" | 235 lbs | KENTUCKY | |
| #13 | Paul George | F | 30 | $33,005,556 | 6' 8" | 220 lbs | FRESNO STATE | |
| #1 | Reggie Jackson | G | 30 | $734,025 | 6' 2" | 208 lbs | BOSTON COLLEGE | |
| #9 | Serge Ibaka | F | 31 | $23,271,604 | 6' 10" | 235 lbs | N/A | |
| #14 | Terance Mann | G-F | 24 | $1,000,000 | 6' 5" | 215 lbs | FLORIDA STATE |
After a disastrous end to their 2019-20 campaign, the Los Angeles Clippers parted ways with long-time head coach Doc Rivers. NBA champion coach Tyronn Lue took over as the squad's new top shot-caller, with the front office banking on Lue's relationship with the players (especially L.A.'s superstars) as the primary driving force for the Clippers' title contention in 2021.
Along with Rivers, L.A. also said goodbye to a number of key players, including Sixth Man of the Year winner Montrezl Harrell (signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Lakers), Landry Shamet (traded to the Brooklyn Nets), and JaMychal Green (signed as a free agent with the Denver Nuggets), to name a few. They did bring in a few fresh faces in Serge Ibaka, Nicolas Batum, and Luke Kennard.
The Clippers' biggest transaction in the offseason centered around All-Star forward Paul George, who L.A. signed to a max four-year extension worth a whopping $176 million. Despite being heavily criticized for his shortcomings during the playoffs, the Clippers reaffirmed their faith in George by committing their long-term future to the 30-year-old wing.
George will continue to serve as Kawhi Leonard's No. 2 man. There's no denying that this dynamic duo fell way below expectations in their first season together last term, but make no mistake about it -- these are two all-time greats at the prime of their careers. They are more than capable of carrying this squad to a much-awaited championship.
Patrick Beverley, Batum, and Serge Ibaka join George and Leonard in the starting five, with Lou Williams, Reggie Jackson, Marcus Morris, Luke Kennard, Patrick Patterson, and Ivica Zubac all playing key roles for the second unit.
los angeles clippers Team Analysis
The Clippers are one of the best scoring teams in the NBA. They rank fourth in the league in averaging 116.5 points per game. Kawhi Leonard leads the Clippers in scoring with 27.1 points per game, while Paul George averages 21.5 points per game. Montrezl Harrell (18.6 ppg), Lou Williams (18.2 ppg), and Marcus Morris (10.1 ppg) are three other players who average double figures.
Something the Clippers do as well as anyone is get to the free-throw line, ranking first in the NBA in free throws made (20.7 per game) and second in the NBA in free throws attempted (26.1 per game). They also usually manage to capitalize on those attempts as they rank ninth in the league in shooting 79.1 percent from the free throw line.
They're also an efficient 3-point shooting team in making 37.1 percent of their shots from beyond the arc, which ranks sixth in the league. The Clippers' overall field goal percentage sits at 46.6 percent, good enough for 12th in the NBA. Their effective field goal percentage is in the top 10 in the league, ranking ninth in that category at 53.5 percent.
One area that helps the Clippers on offense is their ability to rebound the ball on both sides of the court. LA is third in the NBA in total rebounds, and ranking eighth in offensive rebounds (10.7 per game) is certainly important in finding second chance opportunities.
The Clippers simply don't have a lot of weaknesses on offense given their superstar duo of Leonard and George leading the way. The team does rank just 22nd in the NBA in assists per game (23.7 apg), but that's likely because they have so many talented playmakers capable of creating their own offense.
Just like on offense, the Clippers have several areas of strength on defense. Opponents have a hard time finding easy shots against Doc Rivers' squad, especially inside the 3-point line. The Clippers allow teams to shoot just 49.9 percent from 2-point range, ranking as the NBA's second-best team in that category.
But the Clippers' perimeter defense is almost just as good. They're fifth in the league in allowing opponents to shoot only 34.5 percent from 3-point range, which makes sense given the size and athleticism on the roster. It's simply not an easy task to score against the Clippers, and that's a characteristic that is important when trying to win an NBA championship.
Something the Clippers struggle with is fouling. Their aggressive style could have something to do with that, but it is an area where LA could improve. The Clippers rank 26th in the NBA in committing 22.2 fouls per game, and that has led to opponents averaging 24.5 free throws per contest, which ranks 22nd in the league.
Another defensive area that the Clippers need to improve in is limiting their opponents' offensive rebounds. The Clippers are 25th in the NBA in allowing teams to average 10.7 offensive rebounds per game. If LA can get better at giving opponents extra looks on offense, they could be a more complete team.
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue accepted the position following the 2019-20 NBA season in which he served as an assistant coach for LA under Doc Rivers. Prior to joining the Clippers staff, Lue served as head coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2016 to 2018, winning an NBA championship in ‘16 with LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love. After James’ departure from Cleveland, Lue was fired six games into the 2018-19 season after losing each game, bringing his career regular season head coaching record to 128-83 (he’s 41-20 in the playoffs, making the NBA Finals all three years).
Lue began his coaching career in 2011 as an assistant for Rivers with the Boston Celtics. He then followed Rivers to the Clippers as an assistant before becoming the associate head coach for the Cavs in 2014-16 under David Blatt. Lue replaced Blatt as head coach during the 2015-16 championship winning season.
Lue is also a former 2-time NBA champion as a player with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he was drafted in the first round in 1998. He went on to play for the Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, and Milwaukee Bucks. Lue was a standout in college at Nebraska, where he has his No. 10 jersey retired by the school.
Top los angeles clippers Roster Questions
The Clippers lost reigning Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell through free agency, and the team has since added a few new pieces here and there to make up for the loss.
L.A.'s latest signing came in the form of veteran forward Nicolas Batum, who signed on a one-year deal worth $2.3 million. Quite a bargain for a player who earned $25.6 million with the Charlotte Hornets last season.
The Clippers lost one of the biggest names in free agency in the form of reigning Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell. Nevertheless, they've made the necessary moves to fortify their squad for next season.
In came Serge Ibaka from the Toronto Raptors ,who signed on a two-year deal worth $19.0 million. The arrival of Nicolas Batum on a one-year, $2.3 million deal is also a welcome addition for the Clippers.
L.A. also successfully extended the deals of Marcus Morris (four years, $64 million), Patrick Patterson (one year, $3.1 million), and Reggie Jackson.
Other players linked to the Clippers included Marc Gasol, Goran Dragic, and Jae Crowder.
The Clippers made a pair of trades during the 2020 NBA Draft. In a three-team deal with the Brooklyn Nets and Detroit Pistons, L.A. sent out Rodney McGruder, Landry Shamet, and the draft rights to Reggie Perry to acquire Luke Kennard, Justin Patton, the draft rights to Jayden Scrubb, and multiple future second-round picks. The Clippers also acquired Daniel Oturu from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Mathias Lessort and a future second-round pick.
The Clippers' total salary cap is $138,389,392 according to Spotrac. They are 5,762,392 over the luxury tax threshold and are due to pay a luxury tax bill of $8,834,188.
For the Clippers, it was a tough blow losing reigning Sixth Man of the Year Montrezl Harrell via free agency -- to the cross-town rival Los Angeles Lakers. The good news is that they still have a highly-reliable Sixth Man option on the squad in Lou Williams, who himself is a three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner.
Williams is entering the final year of his contract, and assuming that he stays on board, he should be L.A.'s number one option off the bench this coming season.
The 2013-14 roster for the Clippers is arguably the best in team history. Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan were the big three, but Jamal Crawford, JJ Redick, Darren Collison, Matt Barnes, Danny Granger, Jared Dudley, and Willie Green were among the other players that were a key part of the rotation at various points during the season.
They won a franchise-record 57 games during the regular season before losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Semifinals.
In 2019-20, L.A.'s most formidable starting five came in the form of Patrick Beverley at the one, Paul George at the two, Kawhi Leonard starting at the wing spot, and the duo of Marcus Morris (PF) and Ivica Zubac (C) forming the Clippers' front court. It’s looking like the Clippers will use the exact same starting five to begin the 2020-21 season.
With Kawhi and George at the helm, this team has one of the strongest starting lineups in the entire league.
