Reporting from the Clippers' scrimmage on Wednesday, Broderick Turner from the LA Times focused on the desired offense from new head coach Doc Rivers. Though Rivers wants to be a "running team", consistent with the latest strong point of "Lob City", he also wants to be a "motion team", with key words being "constant motion" and "constant movement".
Rivers knows the beautiful simplicity of your standard motion offense, and how it can be of particular benefit for this team with their new pieces. Frankly, the Clipper offense was too-often reduced to hold-the-ball isolations with Chris Paul or Jamal Crawford when it came to needing a bucket. Rivers now also has J.J. Redick and Jared Dudley, who are both willing and capable floor spacers that stretch the defense and move without the basketball. Side note: the Clippers were middle-of-the-pack of the league in three-point shooting last year at just under 36 percent. Signing on Alvin Gentry as an assistant is important if you recall the Phoenix Suns from 2009 to last year. Watch segments of that Suns offense and tell me that movement and spacing don't make a huge difference.
I still want to see Doc's development of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, in terms of utilizing Griffin's intimidation in the two-man game to open up those new shooting threats, and maybe transferring some Kevin Garnett energy to Jordan. As always, defense will be a question. The word "execution" was used in Rivers' comments to Turner, which really became a staple of his championship Boston Celtics team from 2008 and on. Granted his personnel in LA is younger and more athletic (as he acknowledged) but Doc Rivers has the resources, not to mention just as good of a point guard, to furnish this team with a structure and drive that brings teams over the hump.
Let's just wait and see the motion.
- Martin S.
@marley_mcfly
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