The Los Angeles Clippers have experienced an up-and-down bubble so far, going 3-3 with good wins and head-scratching losses. With the adversity the squad has faced, the mixed results aren’t too shocking (though a loss to the Brooklyn Nets in their current state is pretty appalling.) However, the Clippers have received steady performances from JaMychal Green, whose critical floor spacing as a small-ball center has opened up the offense.
On paper, Green’s numbers have slightly decreased from last year when he split time with the Memphis Grizzlies before coming to the Clippers. Green is playing one more minute a game than he did last season with the Clippers, but his shooting numbers have declined.
In 24 games with L.A. last season, Green shot 48.2% (6.8 attempts) from the field, 41.3% from three (3.3 attempts) and 81% from the charity stripe (0.9 attempts). Through 61 games this season, those figures have dropped to 42.8% from the field (5.6 attempts), 38.1% from three (3.8 attempts) and 75% from the stripe (0.8 attempts). As a result, Green’s points per game went from 8.7 last season to 6.8 now.
However, JaMychal Green has stepped up his game in the Orlando bubble and his ability to provide floor spacing plays a big role in finding open looks for himself as well as others.
Green literally has the green light from anywhere on the court since the bubble games commenced. Through six games, Green is shooting 14-27 from beyond the arc, a rate of 51.8%. He’s taking good looks and is drilling them with confidence.
The players are still developing chemistry and rhythm as they haven’t played meaningful basketball in months, but Green looks like he hasn’t missed a second.
In this play, the Clippers run a top pick-and-roll with Lou Williams as the initiator. Green typically comes off the bench with Montrezl Harrell as his frontcourt partner, but because Harrell hasn’t played yet, Patrick Patterson is next up. Patterson revived his career in L.A. following two unimpressive seasons in Oklahoma City and his floor spacing opens this play up further.
The Clippers empty the interior with Green serving as the roll big and Patterson standing in the left corner. Williams utilizes Green’s screen effectively as he makes Trey Burke trail him. Kristaps Porzingis needs to stay in front of Williams so Williams makes the read to Green, who popped out to the right. Porzingis can’t recover in time and it’s three points for Green.
The acquisition of Marcus Morris has its pros and cons, but his floor spacing comes into play here. Again, the Clippers don’t have an interior presence. Green leaks out beyond the arc, attempting to lure Porzingis away from the paint.
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are the playmakers on the court. Leonard is able to penetrate the defense after catching the ball, which pulls in four defenders. Dallas is left scrambling when Leonard gets inside and it’s up to Leonard to take advantage of it starting with a pass.
He uses his claw to fake it to Morris, but kicks it out to Green. Green and Landry Shamet play catch causing Burke to run around and the ball movement ends up with Porzingis closing late again. Porzingis gets caught watching the ball and Green drills the big basket late in the game.
What’s another advantage that comes with Green’s floor spacing? Trailing in transition. He can be used as a trailer when coming up the court on either a rebound or made field goal. It’s a simple method to give your big man easy looks and it paid off here.
Much of getting a good look in transition comes down to the defender. Will the defender close out strong? Will the defender not take the bait in case the trailer passes the ball? Can you catch the defender unprepared?
George looks like he wanted to do more with the ball here. However, some stellar defense from Gary Trent Jr. forces George to pass the ball before a traveling violation occurs.
Green never thinks about passing. He has room because Jusuf Nurkic provides it by not closing out strongly. Nurkic is also caught ball-watching for a second too long that allows Green more time to have a clean release. In the end, it’s a good shot from the 6’8″ big.
Green won’t entertain you with fancy passing but his floor spacing also unlocks open looks for his teammates. The dangerous aspect to Green’s game is that you can’t leave him open – his percentage is too respectable to disregard.
The Mavericks double George to prevent the ball going to Leonard as the other Clippers roam the arc. Because of the double on George, there’s bound to be an open Clipper. Green cuts backdoor and kicks it back out to Morris, taking advantage of the two-vs-one situation on Luka Doncic’s hands. It helped that Dallas showed minimal effort to recover.
I have no idea how the Clippers pulled off this win without multiple key players, but they somehow accomplished victory. The biggest play that led to the win was this clutch shot from Rodney McGruder, who’s not a good long range shooter.
However, the open look McGruder gets is largely due to the defense respecting Green. Terance Mann easily blows by Nurkic in the opposite corner, which draws in Carmelo Anthony, Green’s defender. Anthony has to prevent the possible layup attempt, but it leaves CJ McCollum in a rough situation.
McCollum rotates to prevent Mann from going to Green, leaving Mann to pass to McGruder. It’s the difference between having the hot hand in Green shooting or a player who doesn’t shoot many threes in McGruder. Green commanded McCollum’s attention, granting McGruder sufficient time to nail a clutch triple.
Green’s stable play in the seeding games have been a pleasing sight for a team not at full strength yet. Once the missing pieces start filling in during the playoffs, Green will continue to hold a key role in the rotation. He sticks to his strengths whether he’s playing power forward or center.
There’s a reason Green has a net rating of +8.4 and a true shooting percentage of 76.3 in five games in August. Expect the floor spacing of JaMychal Green to contribute to more Clippers’ success in the near future.
213Hoops is an independently owned and operated L.A. Clippers blog by Clippers fans, for Clippers fans. If you enjoy our content, please consider subscribing to our Patreon. Subscriptions start at $1 a month and support from readers like you goes a long way towards helping us keep 213Hoops sustainable, growing, and thriving.
