Before making the recent trades and buyout market in February, the Clippers were in the conversation about having one of the best defensive systems in the league, which was coming from assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy. The LA Clippers had an excellent defensive team, which was part of the factor the Clippers are still top-6 team in the Western Conference. Though the Clippers are currently on a 3-game losing streak and are still adjusting to the roster changes for the team, there are some bright spots for the Clippers. Kawhi’s return to the team back in January has lifted the Clippers team to a championship-caliber team under head coach Ty Lue. The Clippers have versatile wings on the court like Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr, Nicolas Batum, and Zubac.
With additions like Bogdanovic and Ben Simmons on the team, both can help contribute in ways the Clippers need the most. Bogdanovic is a scorer who can help take the ball off Harden and Kawhi Leonard at times and is also another sharp-shooter at 3-pointers like Norman Powell. Ben Simmons, can play any position on the court as well as guarding at any position.
Even though the Clipper’s identity has fallen off throughout the start of February, the team’s urgency and effort are no longer evident, it also shows why the team is on a losing streak which is also playing a factor. Much of the first half of the season, the Clippers have had a great season, especially when it came to its defense. In the first eight games in February, the LA Clippers posted a defensive rating of 116.5, 20th in the league. The team is 3-5 this month. Some of the wins came from a win against 14-42 Utah Jazz. The third win of February came against the Memphis Grizzlies.
As the season heads down the stretch, the Clippers need to step up on offense as well as defense if they want to make a run for the playoffs. The Clippers team in February has been a completely different team in comparison to what it was the first couple of months of the season.
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