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3 Goals for the Clippers in 2018-19

1. Develop the Young Guns

This is imperative. I've wondered aloud previously if Doc had learned his lesson in playing his younger players last season. In year’s past, when Doc had control in the front office, he drafted poorly and never played the young guys. He let first-round picks Reggie Bullock, C.J Wilcox, and Brice Johnson languish on the bench and stunt their development. That absolutely cannot happen this season.

Last year, Doc had no choice. With the litany of injuries that the Clippers succumbed to, he was forced to turn to guys like Ty Wallace, C.J. Williams, Jamil Wilson, Montrezl Harrell and Sam Dekker. Except for Dekker, they all produced and genuinely helped the Clippers win games.

This season, young talent abounds on the Clippers roster. Rookies, SGA and Robinson, need to be key cogs in the lineup from day one. In re-signing Wallace, they now have a trusted point-guard who plays hard nosed defense and can hit floaters like no one’s business. Harrell is a beast and looks to have another impressive season after being one of the most efficient bench players in the league last season. Mix in defensive hound Sindarius Thornwell and two-way player Johnathan Motley and you have some serious potential.

As I’ve mentioned time and time before, the Clippers are in an odd air right now. They have a win now mindset with a focus on the future. Playoffs will be tough to find in the even-tougher 2018-19 Western Conference so this focus on the future should probably take precedence. This means that developing the young players on the roster is imperative for future success.

If Doc can manage time for everyone and continue to tinker with lineups like he did last year, I think the Clippers can not only keep surprising teams, but also make sure our young players are ready for the future and present. I look for some impressive games from the young guns this season.

2. Establish an Identity

With the exit of CP3 in the 2017 offseason, the only identity the Clippers really ever had in "Lob City" exited Staples Center. The Clippers will forever be L.A.’s younger brother of an NBA team. The Lakers have won ring after ring and the Clips are synonymous with mediocrity. Now with Lebron James'’ arrival in L.A., the Clips are going to take even more of a back-seat in the consciousness of local and national NBA fans everywhere. Therefore, establishing an identity is important for the future of this franchise.

The offensive identity will be tricky to establish with a lack of a true go-to system. Before it was all dunks and fast breaks, now it’s more set plays and mid-to-long range jumpers. It was once get the ball to Blake Griffin in the high post and have him create. Now it’s getting the ball to Lou or Harris on the wing and running an extension of the set play already run. It was once pick-and-roll with Deandre Jordan and have him rim run. Now it’s pick-and roll with Harrell and have him try to fight inside. Definitely different from years past.

I think establishing a defensive identity is important and could be this team’s bread and butter moving forward. With two lauded perimeter defenders in Beverley and Bradley in the starting lineup and Mbah a Moute on the bench, this new tag of "Clamp City" could take effect. SGA is also a 6’6" rangy point guard who put on a defensive clinic in the Summer League and looks to be a magnet for steals.

The other side of this, however, is that the Clippers have no strong interior defensive presence. Gortat is solid but not great. Harrell is a high-energy player who can play great D but is also only 6’8". Boban is obviously a lot to handle in the paint but is limited to few minutes because of stamina issues and lack of footwork.

I think this team will be better than the 23rd ranked defense they were post-Blake trade but giving them the term "Clamp City" might be a stretch. However, it could be the only identity the Clippers can establish this season, until (hopefully) a big name free-agent comes next offseason.

3. Establish Player Roles

When you have a team without a star, roles can become a little murky. Who’s the go-to scorer late in the game? Who do you want with the ball in their hands early to establish flow? Who do you want from the second unit to play when the starters come back in? This is where the Clips chemistry could break, and Doc could have a few problems on his hands.

This teams saving grace in the chemistry department is that it does have a lot of veterans. However, guys like Beverley, Harris, Gortat and Gallinari are coming to the end of their respective contracts. The pressure to perform to get the next contact, and to get the most money they can, is going to be in the back of their heads. They will all have to perform at a high level.

For Harris and Gallinari, this means scoring the ball. Both guys can play the 3 or the 4. Both can score in bunches. Both rarely played together last season. Will they have chemistry when starting on the same floor together this season? Who’s going to be the number one scoring option when both are on the floor? Only time will tell.

The fact that this team has new faces, and guys that were injured and haven’t played together, can be worrisome. Establishing player roles early on will allow for this teams flow to be smooth and allow them to know what they are doing on the court at any given time.

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