Browsing articles from "January, 2015"

Defenses Can't Find Holes in Clippers' Screens

Jan 28, 2015   //   by admin   //   Multimedia  //  Comments Off on Defenses Can't Find Holes in Clippers' Screens

It’s no secret that the Clippers love to run the pick-and-roll. And why shouldn’t they? They boast two starting big men, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, who are both quick to the basket and explosive finishers at the rim. Just as important, if not more, seven-time All-Star point guard Chris Paul is a precision passer, with possibly the best court vision in the league. In addition, Griffin’s enhanced midrange game this season gives the Clippers many more opportunities to pick and pop, effectively diversifying their screen offense and making the Clippers’ offense less predictable than it has been in years past.

The Clippers actually set fewer screens than the league average at 0.98 Set Screens per Chance, but when they do, the screens tend to be highly effective. Los Angeles is leading the league in both Set Screen Points per Chance with 0.20 (league average = 0.14), as well as Set Screen Outcome Efficiency at a rate of 17.77 (league average = 13.35). Set Screen Outcome Efficiency is a Vantage Stat that measures the percentage of set screens that result in a teammate score, a missed open shot, a shooting foul, or an Assist+. It should also be noted that the Clippers boast the league’s fourth-highest Solid Screen% at 76.01.

The Clippers’ best screen setters are easily DeAndre Jordan, Blake Griffin, and Glen “Big Baby” Davis. In fact, these three guys are among the best in the NBA at setting picks. Read more >>

BIO

Aaron Fischman is a sports writer, author, editor and multimedia journalist, who currently hosts the On the NBA Beat podcast, a weekly interview show he co-founded with fellow USC alums Loren Lee Chen and brother Joshua Fischman in advance of the 2015-16 NBA season. On the podcast, he and the crew interview some of the league’s best reporters on their particular beat. Fischman’s first book, A Baseball Gaijin: Chasing a Dream to Japan and Back, an uplifting nonfiction Japanese baseball story, has been nominated for the prestigious CASEY Award for best baseball book of 2024. Read more.