Will Ivica Zubac keep taking threes?

During this two-month dead zone without any official Clippers basketball, we perused Clippers Twitter and compiled only the most crucial, necessary questions to put through the legendary Clips Nation gauntlet.

Here are the results of that process: presenting the oddball prediction counter for the 2021-22 season.

Zu From Deep

The worst-kept secret of Ty Lue and the Clippers might be how much they appreciate 3-point shooting. Clippers center Ivica Zubac has taken this philosophy to heart. After mentioning for years that he has been working on expanding his range, including this video he posted on Instagram during the 2019 offseason, Big Zu shot 25 percent from 3 last year (1-for-4 shooting). This represents an astronomical 25 percent increase from the 2019-20 season. You know who else in recent memory shot at or below 25 percent on low volume? That’s right, Steph Curry in 2019-20, when he made 12-of-49 triples. Steph then proceeded to make 5.3 threes a game on 42.1 percent shooting the following year.

If we factor in the fact that Zubac had not made a three in a game until last season, a realistic over/under for Zubac’s 3-point makes over the 2021-22 season can be set at two. Sure, Lue is the type of coach to give Zubac the freedom to shoot the three ball in certain situations, but this stat might be more reflective of how many blowout games the Clippers are apart than it is of Zu’s actual long-range ability.

Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images

Reggie’s On Court Style

Reggie Jackson’s tenure with the Clippers started with a shooting sleeve and a couple of wrist bands. As his confidence, his performance, and the appreciation for him evolved over this last season, however, so did his outfit. From a headband to mismatched sneakers to his famous protective goggles, Big Government has drawn visual similarities (per NBA Twitter) to the player at the NBA 2K MyPark who spent all their VC on athletic gear. In that case, Reggie’s contract, fresh off the press, should afford him some new gear that is just as fresh: what do you think Reggie’s next showcase would be on the hardwood?

Terance Mann Making Business Decisions

Terance Mann has been cooking in and out of the kitchen. On perhaps the biggest stage of his young career, Terance Mann lit the internet on fire with not one, but two monster dunks on reigning Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert.

Now, he might not have the highest vertical on the team (you have Keon Johnson to blame), or the most experience catching bodies (Big Zu has earned his reputation as the most dominant roller since our Lob City era bigs), or even the best dunking highlight (Pacers PG has a word or two to say about that one). But at this point in their careers, Terance might just be the scariest in-game flyer for the Clippers. A strong body combined with fierce confidence, Terance is getting to the paint. Let this be a warning, shot-blockers, jump at your own peril. With Golden State, Memphis, Portland, Cleveland, and Portland again to start the season, we’re placing the over/under at three games before Mann posterizes someone. What do you think?

Paul George’s Ankle Collection

The wing with the deepest bag just got another offseason to refine his game. Scary business, I know. Having already established a propensity for generating highlight plays, Paul George enters the 2021-22 season as the indisputable number one option in the Clippers’ offense. His near career-high 2020-21 usage rate of 29.6 (second only to the 2014-2015 season, in which George only played in 6 games) should increase to absorb Kawhi Leonard’s similarly high 2020-21 usage rate of 28.2. In a vacuum, we should see the offense more akin to last year’s playoffs post Kawhi’s injury, with George doing most of his damage maneuvering and muscling his way to the rim with the grace of a ballerina and the fury of a pro boxer. The players have noticed, the fans have noticed, but most importantly, the legendary Clippers instagram account has noticed too. With the offense in the palm of his hand, we’re placing the over/under for @laclippers posts about Paul George’s handles this season at 20 (about one every four games).

Luke Kennard Throwing Keys into Locks

There’s nothing more terrifying than a sniper who is on fire. Think Game 6 Klay or Kyle Korver’s 11 points in 65 seconds. The Clippers iteration of this archetype is, or at least hopefully could be, Luke Kennard. Over 63 games played last season, Kennard averaged 8.3 points in just under 20 minutes, including about 1.6 threes a game on 44.6 percent shooting. And having gotten glimpses of Cool Hand Luke’s ability to singlehandedly take over the game last season (eg. a 20-point showing to lead a comeback against the Hawks, a 28-point outing against the Grizzlies, etc.), Clippers fans should be excited for Kennard’s development. Especially with Kawhi out for the season and with the guard rotation in question to start the season after the departure of Rondo and Beverley, Kennard should have a significantly longer leash than last season.

For the sake of simplification, we’re defining a heat-check game as a game in which a player scores 20 or more points, on 55 percent or better shooting from the field. As such, we’re placing Luke Kennard’s over/under heat-check game counter for the 2021-22 season at five.

Are there any other predictions you’re keeping an eye on this season? Let us know in the comments!