Two weeks before the start of the lockout-shortened 2011-2012 NBA season, Chris Paul was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers and he had the heavy burden of reversing the fortunes of a franchise that had only advanced out of the first round of the playoffs on time since 1976. 

The duo of Paul and young superstar Blake Griffin led the Clippers to the 4th best offensive efficiency in the 11-12 season and a first round victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in seven games. However, the more experienced San Antonio Spurs exposed the Clippers in Round 2, but there was ample reason to be hopeful about the future of the Clippers' franchise.

The Clippers lived up to expectations during the 12-13 season. While they only improved their playoff seeding by one spot (from 5th to 4th), they improved their winning percentage by 7.7 percent (from 60.6 percent to 68.3 percent) and they significantly increased their point differential (from positive 2.6 to positive 6.5). However, they ultimately fell short in the postseason, losing to an improved Grizzlies team in six games in the first round.

The Clippers' offense has been effective over the past two years mainly because of the mastery of Paul and the improvement of Griffin. Conversely, Los Angeles has been less successful on the defensive end, where the team’s shortcomings are often blamed on the inexperienced frontcourt duo of Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. The Clippers' defensive issues can be attributed to that pairing and here we'll examine what strategy the front office should pursue to remedy those deficiencies.

In 11-12, the Clippers finished 18th in defensive efficiency, allowing 105.7 points per 100 possessions (DEFF). Most of that was due to a lack of frontcourt depth, however, as the Clippers posted a 101.2 DEFF in 1,555 minutes of lineups involving Griffin and Jordan. The Spurs exposed the Griffin-Jordan duo in the 2nd round of the playoffs by scoring a ridiculous 121.6 points per 100 possessions in 90 minutes against lineups including Griffin and Jordan. The tandem seemed to take a step back on the defensive end in 12-13. In 1,810 minutes, lineups including Griffin and Jordan posted a 104.2 DEFF (down three points per 100 possessions from the year before), which would place them at about 20th in the league.

In both of the Clippers’ playoff exits in the last two seasons, their opponent outperformed their offensive efficiency from the regular season. While the Clippers improved their defensive efficiency dramatically from 11-12 to 12-13, two problems persisted from one season to the next. The first is three-point defense. The Clippers were 27th (36.5 percent) and 26th (37.3 percent) in the league in opposing 3-pt percentage in 2011-12 and 2012-13, respectively. Their inability to defend the 3-point ball revealed itself against the Spurs, when San Antonio shot a remarkable 43.7 percent from downtown during the 4-game sweep. Let’s dive into the stats to figure out why the Clippers struggle to defend from downtown.

The Clippers' three-point defense was especially porous when Griffin and Jordan were on the court at the same time. In 12-13, opponents shot 41.8 percent from beyond the arc against lineups including Griffin and Jordan. For comparison’s sake, the Warriors led the league in team 3PT% for the season with a rate of 40.3 percent. Lineups with Griffin and Jordan had problems guarding the perimeter in part because of how the two big men defended the pick and roll. Often times, the defender (either Griffin or Jordan) guarding the screener in the pick and roll would leave the roll man and jump out to the perimeter to corral the ball handler. Meanwhile, the other big man would often overextend himself to help on the roll man, which would expose the paint. The other defenders would react by sinking in to protect the paint, which meant straying a little too far from the 3-point line. This enabled opponents to make a high percentage of their 3-point attempts. Zach Lowe expertly detailed this trend at Grantland.

Interestingly, in lineups with Griffin that were absent of Jordan, the Clippers dramatically improved their 3-point defense as the opposing 3-pt percentage dropped from 41.8 percent to 36.7 percent. However, while the Clippers may have improved their 3-point defense without Jordan, they struggled in other areas such as defensive rebounding and limiting their fouls. 

2012-13

 (*** Table info from NBAwowy.com)

The 0.252 opposing free throw attempt rate (OPP FTA) posted by lineups with Griffin and Jordan would rank about 8th in the league. On the contrary, lineups with Griffin but without Jordan had an abysmal 0.425 OPP FTA, which would be by far the worst in the league, as the Raptors were last in the league in OPP FTA in 12-13 with an OPP FTA of 0.247. The dramatic increase in fouls indicates the Clippers lack of rim protection when Jordan is on the bench. 

So far, we’ve learned that lineups with Griffin and Jordan didn’t defend the 3-point shot well in 12-13 and were pretty solid in terms of rebounding and avoiding fouling. On the contrary, the Clippers did a better job of defending from behind the arc without Jordan but they had a hard time rebounding and avoiding fouling when Jordan left the game. Let’s compare the numbers from the 12-13 table above with the numbers from this year. 

2013-14

( *** Table info from NBAwowy.com) 

Lineups with Griffin and Jordan have improved their defensive efficiency thus far in the 13-14 season, in large part, because of their improvement defending the 3PT shot. Allowing the opposition to shoot 35.3 percent is just about a league average rate, which is a dramatic improvement over last season, where Griffin-Jordan lineups allowed their opponent to shoot 41.8 percent from downtown. This improvement can be attributed to Doc Rivers’ efforts to convince Jordan not to jump out on the perimeter nearly as much as he did in the past. While Jordan has improved his defensive positioning, he is still prone to overextending himself and compromising the Clippers defense. When Jordan successfully commits to remaining in the paint, the Clippers wing defenders can remain attached to perimeter shooters, thereby diminishing their ability to accurately shoot 3-pointers.

The main problem on defense that has carried over from last season is the way in which the Clippers defense collapses when Jordan leaves the game. The 109.2 DEFF without Jordan would rank in the bottom-three of the league. The defensive struggles are in large part due to the fact that these lineups still foul at an absurd rate. The Clippers began this season with BJ Mullens and Ryan Hollins as their primary backup big men, both of whom are guilty of excessive fouling. Mullens is currently 18th in the league in personal fouls per 36 minutes and Hollins is 20th. Mullens has recently seen his playing time decrease, as the Clippers have preferred to use either Barnes or Dudley at the 4-spot when Griffin is on the bench. Regardless, it is pretty clear that the Clippers are in dire need of a third big man who can provide some rim protection when Jordan heads to the bench.

Doc Rivers has helped the Griffin-Jordan frontcourt improve defensively, mainly by encouraging Jordan to avoid drifting too far from the paint. The Clippers' major problems on defense this season have occurred when Jordan is on the bench. As the trade deadline approaches, the Clippers should consider shopping for a backup big man who can play defense. Anderson Varejao, Brandon Bass, Jason Thompson, and Jordan Hill are just a few examples of players who might be available, as they are veteran big men on teams that are currently out of the playoff hunt. Acquiring a capable third big man will go a long away in improving the Clippers chances of contending in the Western Conference.