Part of the beauty of a team like the Clippers is how much brighter their future is than their present. Looking at their group of young rotation players, it continually astounds that the oldest guy of Eric Gordon, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, Al-Farouq Aminu, and Eric Bledsoe was born in July of 1988 (Jordan).

While the team will not keep all of those players once they move off their rookie contracts, that group gives Los Angeles a nucleus to build around in the long term.

However, that long-term vision must guide the short term as well, since more immediate assets carry less value as they will be out of their prime when the more pivotal elements come into their own. Luckily, the only contract the Clippers are saddled with that could affect their flexibility is Baron Davis? still-monstrous contract. Chris Kaman is signed for another two years, yet he expires at the same time Eric Gordon is eligible for an extension so they should balance out relatively nicely.

The salary implications answer one variable of the long-term equation, yet what might be the most important one takes more time to figure out: who makes sense playing with the Clippers? long term core?

There are a wide variety of ways to interpret how teams can and should be built, from classifying players by quality (stars, starters, etc) to positional requirements. My preferred method is to break down the things successful teams have into niches that must be filled. While no team has every one of them satisfied on the court at any point, much less for all 48 minutes per game, how well teams satisfy these elements can be an effective predictor of big picture success.

The Clippers make this challenging because both Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon are clear-cut talents that do not fit neatly into some of the pivotal niches. Top-tier teams need #1, go-to scorers both in crunch time and over the course of full games and seasons. While both Griffin and Gordon currently possess scoring averages that put them in the top 15 players in the entire league, it is unclear if either one of them fits the bill perfectly.

Of course, teams have done well without this archetype, but it absolutely helps. On top of that, Griffin is a great rebounder (8th in the NBA in Rebound Rate while being top 20 in both offensive and defensive Rebound Rate and carrying a 21-game double-double streak after today?s game) and an efficient scorer, yet he has not shown the depth of back to the basket game many elite offensive big men get. Obviously, this can come with time and would likely reduce the strain on his jumper, which is also improving since his college days.

Beyond the two young studs, the Clippers? other young players can help fill some of these niches. DeAndre Jordan has already shown strong signs of becoming both an impactful defensive anchor and a strong rebounder. He blocked an astonishing six shots against Atlanta Sunday, five of which were in LA?s impressive first half. At this point in the season, Jordan sits at 40th in Rebound Rate, making a potent combo with the aforementioned Griffin. If Jordan can become a better shot disruptor (compare how Josh Smith and Al Horford changed shots Sunday to DAJ), the Clippers can have a nice safety valve for their perimeter defense whenever Jordan is in the game.

Beyond Jordan, Ryan Gomes, Eric Bledsoe, and Al-Farouq Aminu can all play pivotal roles, though the non-Griffin/Gordon young guys may be better served as high end rotation players rather than starters. All have the time to get better and improve both their current specialties and their overall game.

Playing a team like the Hawks provides both an interesting example of a way to build a team long-term and a way to see what this team still needs to add. Despite Marvin Williams being on the shelf with a back injury, the Hawks have talent at all five positions and have been a playoff team for the last three seasons. Over the course of the game, they showed the Clippers why by coming back after a first half where they were thoroughly outplayed and trailed by sixteen points at one juncture in the second quarter.

After the game, a clearly disappointed Blake Griffin talked about the differences between the first half and the second half, noting that they were ?moving the ball well? and ?having fun? in the first half.

Interestingly, he also connected these offensive attributes with their better defensive play. In many ways, this makes sense for young teams, since there is a feedback loop in play when both elements are going. An efficient offense means less transition opportunities for the opponent (Atlanta Coach Larry Drew singled this out, mentioning the Hawks only had two points on the break in the first half) and thus more chances to get out and run. This understanding and form of an incentive system can be effective for young teams, particularly those with players still learning their defensive roles. Having two very good rebounders in Griffin and Jordan should help ease this transition.

Coach Vinny Del Negro talked after the game about how the Clippers ?didn?t stop [the Hawks] at all? in the second half, citing defensive energy. While this is partially true, it was augmented by the fact that the Hawks were missing many of those same shots (as well as some worse ones) in the first half. This discrepancy made adjusting difficult and allowed the Hawks to make their way back by capitalizing on the Clippers? less effective offense. Atlanta took advantage of the Clippers settling for looks outside of their optimal range much like how LA gained the advantage in the first- just sit back and watch Johnson, Crawford, and Smith jack up shots.

The larger adjustment issue was also one Blake Griffin talked about post-game. In the second half, he said the Clippers offense ?got a little stagnant? in a way that juxtaposed their own fast start and mirrored Atlanta?s flawed first half.

Incidentally, it also mirrored something I noticed in shootaround with Griffin: over time, his jumper got less consistent (he actually had a hitch in the delivery on the last 5 or so shots before going back to the locker room). This makes sense considering he is a guy who took only 22 jumpers all season at Oklahoma. Griffin?s passing was much better than I anticipated, yet it takes more than that to keep the ball moving and get guys their best shots.

Even in the second half, the Clippers did fine when guys like Gomes, Bledsoe, and Jordan got the ball in the right place. Having a pass-first PG with the starters would help a ton, though the team would need a SF that can score to keep opponents honest and on their toes defensively.

One other place the Clippers must improve both internally and with new blood is on the free throw line. There are two components to being a good team on free throws: getting to the line and making the shots. As of now, the Clippers have done well in the first category, standing 4th in free throw attempts on the season despite being middle of the pack in pace. However, their shooting once they get to the line has been dismal at best- a league-worst 68.5%. Only Orlando is even below 71%. The negative effects of this shooting can be seen pretty directly, as the Clippers allow the fourth-most attempts (mirroring their own success getting to the line), yet opponents make two more FT?s a game. As such, other teams get two points a game simply by not shooting free throws as terribly as the Clippers. Their best free throw shooter who qualifies for ranking is Eric Gordon, and he ranks a meager 61st out of 137 eligible players. Without the current players improving dramatically and management making a conscious effort to not take any more FT-challenged guys, free throw shooting could be a major Achilles heel moving forward.

What management needs to work on (along with the coaching staff) is a clear vision of just how this team is going to beat opponents.

When their jumpers are falling like the first half, the offense can be potent with a defense that follows it. On top of that, having a more complete Al-Farouq Aminu helps the perimeter D while hopefully keeping the offense going.

The challenge remains that this team needs a long-term calling card since despite their talented roster, just about every successful team needs a calling card that current players embrace and future additions can hold onto when brought into the fold. Rebounding could very well be a portion of this identity but it needs something beyond that.

Fortunately, the Clippers have the time, resources, and financial flexibility to build from their core and make a legitimately competitive team.

As a basketball fan, I sincerely hope they can put it together.

Feel free to e-mail Daniel at Daniel.Leroux@realgm.com or follow him at Twitter.com/DannyLeroux