Clippings: The Clippers have mothballed their small lineup

The Clippers made two changes to their starting lineup before Game 2, replacing Terance Mann and Nic Batum with Patrick Beverley and Ivica Zubac.

The former decision was an unequivocal success. The Suns have targeted Mann defensively in a way that the Jazz couldn’t, while Beverley did a wonderful job on Devin Booker throughout the game despite picking up two quick fouls. The defensive adjustment the Clippers made on Booker would not have been possible without Beverley’s aggression on the perimeter.

That defensive aggression does require some rim protection behind Beverley, which is why Zubac also entered the starting five. Zubac had a perfectly fine defensive performance and assuredly deserves the minutes he’s getting. But playing big hurt the Clippers’ spacing after so many games of playing small. The team went 10-of-20 at the rim, as Ayton was able to camp out in the paint, and the Clippers also only generated seven corner threes on drive-and-kicks out of their 34 3-point attempts.

It was the rare instance of the Clippers prioritizing their defense over their offense this postseason, and it was a fair gambit. The only problem was that when Batum was demoted from the starting lineup, his minutes downgraded from 37 in Game 1 to 16 in Game 2. With Kawhi Leonard out and Marcus Morris Sr. hobbling, Batum is the best forward the Clippers have left after Paul George; his role should be expanding, not diminishing. Yet the Clippers used Batum as a defensive buffer in Luke Kennard/DeMarcus Cousins/Rajon Rondo lineups, and only briefly as a backup center later in the game.

Marginalizing Batum seems like a missed opportunity, since he has been the team’s most reliable defender without Leonard. Batum can be the center in small lineups; throughout the playoffs, the Clippers have played about 120 minutes of small ball without Leonard, and those groups are plus-29. Batum is far more capable than Cousins of anchoring a defense without Zubac, and he adds more on offense. Batum’s a ball mover, and he’s shooting 41.3 percent on threes in the postseason after draining 40.4 percent during the regular season. The Phoenix bigs will try to attack Batum in the post, but that happens with Cousins, too, so it’s not exactly an argument in favor of the center.

If the Clippers decide to close games with Zubac, Batum is capable of playing the 4 in those situations rather than the Clippers downsizing with Kennard or Rondo. The Batum/Zubac pairing has the fourth-highest net rating (plus-27.5) of any L.A. two-man group during the postseason that has played at least 20 minutes.

The Clippers were at their best playing small in the first two rounds. If they’ve decided that their personnel and the matchup no longer supports that strategy, I disagree, but so be it. Even in traditional lineups, there’s no reason not to utilize Batum more often. He’s a consistent player on both ends of the floor, unlike several players in the current rotation, and the Clippers need more of that. Whether it’s at the 4 or the 5, Batum has to be on the court more in Game 3.

More news for Thursday:

• Dan Woike examined the Clippers’ missed moment in Game 2. Dan Devine also detailed the emotional rollercoaster.
• The Celtics have hired longtime NBA assistant Ime Udoka as their new head coach. One less job opening for Chauncey Billups.
• Another Clippers assistant, Kenny Atkinson, has repeatedly been mentioned for the Orlando job, per reporting from Marc Stein. Stein’s weekly newsletter also has some fun facts about Terance Mann.
• Team USA has finalized its men’s roster for the Olympics, with Zach LaVine and Jerami Grant as the final additions.
• Erik Spoelstra will be coaching the select team during training camp in Las Vegas. Mann and/or Luke Kennard would be good fits on that team.
• John Hollinger shared his top 20 prospects in this year’s draft.
• Owen Phillips found which award voters tend to skew furthest from the consensus.