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Clippers praise Mbah a Moute’s defense

Doc Rivers and Jamal Crawford are loving the small forward’s defense

NBA: Los Angeles Clippers at Oklahoma City Thunder Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Although Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is only averaging 5.4 points per game with 23.3 minutes, he has found his rhythm on the other side of the floor.

The most recent display of his defensive prowess came during the Clippers’ game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, during which he helped hold Andrew Wiggins to just 33% shooting.

Needless to say, Doc was loving it:

“Luc right now, there’s nobody in the league that’s a better defensive player than Luc,” Doc Rivers said. “What he’s doing, and when you have him and D.J. together, it just makes our defense special. And the fact that he’s scoring, it’s all gravy.” (Quote from OC Register’s Dan Woike)

But he was not the only one that took notice. After the game, Jamal Crawford took to twitter to make a bold announcement:

This praise is well deserved. Mbah a Moute not only played well against Wiggins, but also while guarding Russell Westbrook. Whether or not he can keep this up will be decided as the Clippers keep playing; however, as of now, Luc has provided an interesting answer to the question of “What can the Clippers get from the small forward position?” -- most believed the Clippers needed scoring, but perhaps All-Defensive team level defense might be good enough.