For posterity, I figured I should throw up some Clippers – Rockets player grades–although my Saturday schedule got fully derailed and it’s now time to shift our attention to Sunday’s matchup with the Detroit Pistons. So, please enjoy these one-sentence grades (if you’re familiar with my writing, you know that brevity presents a unique challenge for me).

Clippers Starter Grades

Reggie Jackson: A. The Clippers will really miss a chance to build some on-court chemistry with Patrick Beverley over the next month, but at least they’ll get to ride an extremely high Reggie Jackson wave as the fill-in guard continues a fantastic run of form.

Luke Kennard: C-. Whether it was due to a lack of assertiveness or not having his number called, Luke made a few nice reads but spent most of his night standing in the corner, missing a crucial opportunity to keep his name in the conversation for depth guard minutes.

Kawhi Leonard: A. Big buckets in big moments, and a continued pattern of dominant assist-to-turnover ratios.

Marcus Morris: C+. He’s been inconsistent lately and was quiet in this one, but it still feels like the new rotations are working out for both Morris and Batum, which is great since LAC is going to need both of them to play big minutes in big games.

Ivica Zubac: B+. Zu was dominant inside during the Clippers’ dominant second quarter but only registered 23 minutes due to early foul trouble and the team’s general lethargy in the other three frames.

Clippers Bench Player Grades

Terance Mann: A. After being squeezed a bit from the team’s healthy rotation, Mann put forth another spectacular two-way performance that, along with Jackson’s recent run of play, gives Ty Lue a number of guards who simply need to play.

Nicolas Batum: B+. The bench role has been a great fit for Nic to stay fresh with slightly fewer minutes, and things should get even better when Serge Ibaka returns and Batum is asked to do less interior work.

Patrick Patterson: B+. It’s been yeoman’s work for Patterson in recent weeks and while I’ll be concerned if he’s getting playoff minutes, simply not being a liability while playing undersized & out of position in place of Ibaka has helped the Clippers avoid any second-unit disasters.

Amir Coffey: B+. While he shouldn’t be a big part of the Clippers’ run this season, Amir has earned a spot on the 15-man roster next season where we can get a better look at what he has to offer.

No Grades

Despite a 3-turnover minute to start the second quarter, DeMarcus Cousins played little enough that he escapes without a grade. New Clipper Malik Fitts and Daniel Oturu each got on the court for a few minutes at the end of the game. In addition to Serge Ibaka and Jay Scrubb remaining out, Patrick Beverley will miss significant time with a hand fracture while Rajon Rondo and Paul George got some rest on the second night of a back-to-back to nurse their nagging injuries.

Lucas Hann

Lucas Hann

Lucas has covered the Clippers since 2011, and has been credentialed by the team since 2014. He co-founded 213Hoops with Robert Flom in January 2020.  He is a graduate of Saugus High School in Santa Clarita, CA and St. John's University in Queens, NY.  He earned his MA in Communication and Rhetorical Studies from Syracuse University.

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