The Clippers fell apart in Game 7, getting blown out by the Nuggets to lose in the first round of the playoffs for the third year in a row. Here are my grades for the players (and Ty Lue) for their entire postseason contributions.

Starters

James Harden: B- (Previous Grades: B+, B)

This might seem like too positive a grade for Harden considering his complete no-show in the second half of Game 7 and his equally dismal outing in Game 5. Maybe it is. But Harden was brilliant in Games 1 and 6, excellent in Game 3, and good enough in Games 2 and 4. His defense was certainly bad for most of the series, with the off-ball stuff being the largest culprit (as usual with James). But the biggest issue here is that the Clippers were just asking way too much of a 36-year-old who was a fringe All-Star level player this year. I wish Harden was more aggressive, and that’s the main reason I’m docking him so much; I do think he went out soft in Games 5 and 7. But his performance across the series – 18.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, 9.1 assists to 3 turnovers on 56.7 True Shooting) was not bad. It just wasn’t enough for the guy who’s supposed to be the second-best player on a theoretical contending team. Thus, he gets the same grade as Kawhi Leonard. Not awful, just disappointing and not quite good enough.

Norm Powell: D (Previous Grades: D+, C+)

Yeah man. This was rough. Norm’s final series numbers – 16 points on 57.8 True shooting – don’t look bad, but the film tells a different story. First, Norm was terrific on offense in the three home games – 3, 4, and 6 – but absolutely dreadful on the road. Second, his defense was abysmal, with the Nuggets repeatedly targeting him on that end. Third, his rebounding was even worse, with Norm’s rebounding rate of 4.2% being last on the Clippers by a wide margin (next was DJJ at 5.9) and further below anyone on the Nuggets (Jamal Murray at 7.4%) by an even wider one. At the end of the day, the statistical reason why the Nuggets won (outside of some shooting variance) is rebounding – they had a rebound percentage of 52.7% compared to the Clippers 47.3% and were better on both the defensive (71.6% to 66.2%) and offensive (33.8% to 28.4%) ends by a real gap.

Rebounding is absolutely a team effort, but Norm is the weakest rebounder on the Clippers, and my biggest criticism of Ty Lue was sticking with him to the extent he did throughout this series. Norm was a huge reason why the Clippers were in the position they were in – his scoring and overall offensive juice kept the Clippers afloat when Kawhi was out. But his complete inability to do anything besides score (and he didn’t even do that well in this series) came home to roost against a bigger and more physical Nuggets team.

Kris Dunn: B (Previous Grades: A-, B)

It’s incredible how much different things can look in real-time compared to the math after the fact. Kris Dunn ended up shooting 35.7% from three on the series (10-28), a higher percentage than his regular season numbers as well as a higher percentage than Norm Powell, Bogdan Bogdanovic, or Derrick Jones Jr. He finished up making just four fewer threes than Norm, five fewer than Kawhi, and six fewer than James. Yes, his shots were the most open. Yes, his misses on those open looks were deflating. Yes, the Nuggets’ ability to help off him made the Clippers’ offense more difficult. But ultimately, I think Kris Dunn played well in this series considering his role and expectations. His defense was fantastic, he chipped in on the glass (9.2% total rebound rate, 7.6% offensive rebound rate), and was careful with the ball (one turnover in the entire series).

Dunn certainly looked shook in his brief first-half stint in Game 7 after being benched in Game 6 – but the Clippers actually won his minutes by 2! His defense, energy, rebounding, and ballhandling were essential to the Clippers all season, and I think Ty Lue firmly pivoting away from him for more offense-only players like Norm and Bogi allowed the Nuggets to play the end of the series on their terms. It probably doesn’t make a difference in the end, but I do wonder what would have happened if Ty had benched Norm instead of Dunn in the second half of Game 6. We will never know!

Kawhi Leonard: B- (Previous Grades: A-, B)

Kawhi Leonard’s numbers for this series, in a vacuum, look fantastic. 25 points, 7.6 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.7 blocks in 37.9 minutes per game with 53.7/40.5/77.8 shooting splits (63% True Shooting) on mostly good defense is not to be sneezed at. Remove his insane Game 2 performance and those numbers take a significant dip. And that’s not realistic to do, of course, as his Game 2 was legendary and hugely important for the series. But superstar players, above all, need to provide consistency and a floor. This series, Kawhi was not close to a consistent superstar level performer, with averages in the other six games of 22.6 points on 49/36.6/74.2 splits.

More importantly, by the eye test, he consistently failed to bend the Nuggets defense – they were content to have Aaron Gordon play him straight up – or punish weaker defenders like Jamal Murray or Michael Porter Jr. Simply put, Kawhi was very good in this series, but not close to great – and you usually need greatness from your best player in a playoff series in order to win. We finally got healthy Kawhi… and it was not enough. It’s a brutal outcome, but I think it also provides some closure on this era of Clippers’ basketball. The Clippers can’t count on Kawhi to be the best player on a contending level team going forward, even if he is healthy. Considering he’s almost 34, and the number of major injuries and surgeries he’s had, that fact isn’t shocking – it’s incredible he’s still even this good. But seeing Kawhi not coming to the rescue playing out in real time was a dose of cold water.

Ivica Zubac: A- (Previous Grades: B+, A-)

Big Zu averaged 17.4 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.0 blocks per game in 36.6 minutes while shooting 65.9% from the field and effectively defending the best offensive player in the NBA. His play fell off a little bit as the series went along (he was at 20 and 12 at one point) but Zu was still awesome in this series in the exact same way he was down the stretch of the season. You can nitpick his free throw shooting, his slow decision-making in the short roll at times, and his body language, but this was a fantastic close to Zu’s breakout season. The Clippers have their center of the present and future, and Zu is the only player on this roster who I could see being in a similar role in three years.

Bench

Bogdan Bogdanovic: D (Previous Grades: F, D-)

This was a bad series for Bogi, who had by far his two best outings in Games 5 and 7, when the Clippers were utterly blown out. Despite being competitive and playing with energy, he was food on defense for the majority of the series, being taken advantage of by every Nugget who he was matched up against. Somehow, incredibly, Bogi averaged 3.6 fouls per game in his 16.7 minutes on average, meaning he would have fouled out of every game if he played even 30 minutes. On offense, Bogi was never able to find the range, shooting just 29.2% from three for the series – and considering that his three-point shooting is his biggest strength as an NBA player, that just wasn’t good enough. I like his competitiveness, and his ability to get to the midrange was flashed a couple times later in the series, but the first three games were a disaster, and his only real big game was in the Game 5 loss. I think Bogi is a nice fit on this team and I’m excited to see him on this roster with a full training camp and preseason, but this series was really, really rough.

Nic Batum: A (Previous Grades: A, A-)

This wasn’t a perfect series by Nic Batum (he missed a ton of open looks in Game 4 and was mostly a non-factor in Game 5), but considering his role on the team, age, and expectations, he batted furthest above his weight. His performances in Games 3 and 6 were two of the best playoff performances by a Clippers’ role player in franchise history considering two-way impact, and he was a monster on defense the entire series even as his ability to make a difference on offense waxed and waned. The Clippers knew what they were getting from Nic Batum when he was on the court, and at the end of the day they could really only say that about one other Clipper: Ivica Zubac. It’s unbelievable he averaged 1.7 blocks per game in 24.6 minutes, and that he regularly defended both Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic. What a series for Nico, who remains as important as ever to the Clippers even as he enters his late 30s.

Derrick Jones Jr.: C- (Previous Grades: C, C)

DJJ was nothing if not consistent. Unfortunately, that consistency was just not good enough for what the Clippers needed. I kind of think he had the series that people are ascribing to Kris Dunn – he missed most of his threes and was not able to make the Nuggets pay at all for leaving him open – but without Dunn’s impact in other areas of the game. DJJ finished 6-20 from three (30%), went 3-8 from the line (37.5%), and was a complete non-factor as a rebounder, with just eight defensive rebounds in 129 minutes. There was also zero playmaking for others, with a grand total of two assists (albeit with only three turnovers). The defense was good, and there were some nice slashes to the rim, especially later in the series, but unfortunately DJJ was mostly just a non-factor. A tough series for him.

Ben Simmons: C+ (Previous Grades: A-, B-)

Ben barely played in the first half of Game 5 and then did not play the last 2.5 games of the series, so I can’t adjust my grade on him much. At the end of the day, Ben gave the Clippers a couple of competent games of backup center minutes with good shifts on Jokic, and that beat expectations. However, his complete lack of offensive capabilities made him unplayable, and it’s really hard to imagine him being a consistent rotation player for a good team at this point unless he can somehow get over his fear of attacking the basket and getting to the line. It’s a shame, because the combination of size/defense/rebounding/passing/ballhandling could be useful even without the shooting. Alas.

Ty Lue: B-

Judging NBA coaches is always extremely difficult, as the main thing we can see on the court is rotations, and that’s only a small part of their job. We don’t know how they work in the locker room, how they’re motivating the team, or what their messaging is – maybe Ty was harping on the right things and the team just wasn’t executing. I actually think Ty’s rotations this series were pretty good. He probably could have played Nic Batum more, and I think he should have gone more away from Norm Powell compared to Kris Dunn, but there was nothing incredibly glaring. The biggest issue I had with the Clippers this series was that their offense seemed stuck in the mud much of the time against a team with only a couple good defenders, and they did not seem to have a clear plan of how to best attack the Nuggets’ weak points on defense. How much of that is on coaching vs on players is unclear, but Ty must get some of the blame for that. And, I really do think going away from Kris Dunn in Game 6, which resulted in his jitters on offense in Game 7, was ultimately a bad choice, because it meant conceding style of play to the Nuggets. Not an abysmal series from Ty but also not his finest work.

Clippers vs Nuggets Series: Final Player Grades
Robert Flom

I did a round of player grades after two games, so it’s time to update the grades after four games with the series tied at 2-2.

Starters

James Harden: B (Previous Grade: B+)

Harden hasn’t had any truly brilliant performances since Game 1, but was excellent in Game 3 (20 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists) and merely below average in Game 4 (15 points and 11 assists but with 4 turnovers). Similarly to Kawhi, my biggest complaint for Game 4 was just not being aggressive enough, as Harden took just 11 shots and an insanely low 2 threes. The Nuggets are specifically game planning to take away Harden, far more than they are Kawhi, but he still needs to get up more shots – and especially threes – than that. Harden has not had a truly bad game in this series, but the Clippers do need more of a scoring punch from him to win this series.

Norm Powell: C+ (Previous Grade: D+)

No Clipper has boosted their grades more from the first two games than Norm, who had two quite good outings in Games 3 and 4 with 20 and 22 points respectively on excellent efficiency. I don’t think either was a true “A+” Norm game, but they were extremely welcome returns to form after his horrid performances in the first two games. It was Norm’s shotmaking that was critical in the 4^th quarter comeback in Game 4, with every single attempt he took going in and his ability to score off secondary action cooking the Nuggets multiple times. If he can uncork for a 30-point explosion, that would be great, but as long as he continues playing at the level of Games 3-4 the Clippers will be in a solid spot.

Kris Dunn: B (Previous Grade: A-)

After a very strong first three games of the series, Kris unfortunately has to be docked for his Game 4 showing, when he went 1-9 from the field, 1-6 from three, and was a team-worst -12 in 21 minutes. That’s not to say his decision-making was bad – he took all of his shots with confidence, and the overall decision-making on both ends was correct; he just missed the shots. I wouldn’t say I’m super discouraged by Dunn’s outing, as a lot of his shots were in-and-out, not complete bricks. That said, if the shots don’t start falling at an at least acceptable rate, I’d imagine his minutes will continue to tick down as we head into the latter half of the series. The defense with him is awesome, but with the Clippers’ offense struggling, the Clips might have to move away from him.

Kawhi Leonard: B (Previous Grade: A-)

It’s been a bit of an odd series for Kawhi, who has had one true superstar performance in Game 2 but has been largely kept in control outside of that. His Game 3 was very good – 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 assists on decent efficiency – but his Game 4 was not, even though the counting stats (22 points and 9 rebounds) were decent. Kawhi just has not been aggressive enough in going for his shot and has not really been able to “take over” games outside of that one magical night in Game 2. The Clippers simply need more from Kawhi, who has been good but not great. If there’s anyone on the Clippers who can go at least toe-to-toe with Jokic, it’s Kawhi, and the gap there is too big through four games.

Ivica Zubac: A- (Previous Grade: B+)

Big Zu has been the Clippers’ most consistent player in this series by a country mile. Zu has churned out 19 points and 11 rebounds for series averages and has basically hit that mark in every game. That does mean he hasn’t had any truly huge performances, but 19 and 11 on excellent efficiency and with great defense on Nikola Jokic is still phenomenal. Zu is doing so much for the Clippers on both ends and has held up on every challenge the Nuggets have thrown at him. He has been getting tons of flowers for this series, and deserves all of them. A true coming out party for Zu after a fantastic regular season.

Bench

Bogdan Bogdanovic: D- (Previous Grade: F)

This has been a miserable series for Bogi, who is 4-18 from the field, 1-8 from three, and has 9 assists to 6 turnovers as the nominal backup point guard. His Game 4 was the first game he really contributed almost anything positive, with 7 points on 3-7 shooting, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists while playing in the offensively charged 4^th quarter unit that almost completed an epic comeback. However, outside of his incredible offensive rebound and follow-up late in the quarter, Bogi didn’t really contribute much tangible to that stretch, which was mostly driven by Harden, Zu, and Norm. Combine the miserable shooting with mostly bad defense (he was, again, better on that end in Game 4) and you have a D-. The Clippers desperately need an actually good Bogi game in the next couple contests, and hopefully Game 4 gives him the confidence he needs to perform the rest of the series.

Nic Batum: A- (Previous Grade: A)

Nic Batum followed up two very good games to start the series with one of the best performances by a Clippers’ role player in franchise history (yeah I said it) in Game 3. His 12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 blocks understate his performance, which was massive on both ends. Unfortunately, what had been an A+ through three games has to be knocked by a Game 4 when Nico went 1-6 from three, all on wide open attempts. The Clippers have to deal with Dunn and DJJ’s inconsistent shooting so need their premier shooters to make a high percentage of shots – and Nico failed to do so in Game 4. It’s hard to really punish players for the vagaries of shooting, but each open missed Nico three felt like a backbreaker. Still, he’s been the best Clippers role player by far to this point, and probably needs to be at worst 5^th in minutes going forward.

Derrick Jones Jr.: C- (Previous Grade: I forgot (C))

This has been a hugely forgettable series for DJJ, so much so that I forgot to even write about him in my first player grades article. His best game by far was Game 3, when he scored 10 points and hit two threes, but for the series DJJ is averaging just 6 points per game and is just 2-7 from beyond the arc. Honestly, the 7 attempts figure there is more troubling than the 2 makes – DJJ only taking 7 threes in 81 minutes is not really acceptable. For as much as Kris Dunn is being left open and that mucking up the offense, DJJ is being treated the same way except he isn’t even taking the threes. His defense has been quite good, but not great, and the Nuggets have taken away his lobs in the halfcourt. Honestly, a C feels kind of generous but there haven’t been many truly bad moments, and the defense is enough to keep him at a passing grade… but just barely.

Ben Simmons: B- (Previous Grade: A-)

Ben’s grade gets knocked significantly here, as a pretty solid Game 3 was followed by a completely ineffective Game 4. It’s hard to say that Ben isn’t performing at least somewhat above expectations – he’s been good on defense and the Clippers have survived his minutes. However, the sheer lack of anything on offense (four points and four assists total across four games) means he can’t be given a higher grade, especially with how desperate the Clippers are for offense at this point.

Clippers Player Grades: Catching Up After Four
Robert Flom

Instead of a recap of Game 2 (I don’t think I can do it justice anyway), here are my grades for each Clippers player through two games. As always, these grades are context based for each player with their expectations in mind.

Starters

James Harden: B+

Harden has had one brilliant game (Game 1) and one fine game (Game 2), which averages out for me to a B+. His stats across both games are pretty phenomenal – 25 points and 9 assists per game (to 3 turnovers) on 60% True Shooting efficiency. He gets docked for me primarily because of his defense, which has been inattentive or bad most of the time. Harden was fine on defense for much of the year, but seems to have regressed in this series, with a lot of ballwatching and hand waving rather than real effort. That combined with poor boxing out and some bad turnovers is enough to keep him out of the “A” range for now, but it’s hard not to be thrilled with his offensive play so far.

Norm Powell: D+

Norm escaped an F grade because of his 3^rd and 4^th quarters in Game 2, when he finally hit a couple of his patented floaters and then a massive three late in the game. On the whole, however, Norm has been very bad – a morass of poor defense, missed shots, invisible boxouts, and nasty turnovers. The Clippers have been able to get by due to the brilliance of Harden, Zu, and Kawhi, but they are going to need much better play from Norm if they’re going to win this series. Since Norm is a player whose primary acumen is scoring, the way for him to turn this around is simple: make more shots. Also, getting to the free throw line (only 3 attempts so far, making just 1) would be nice. We know the rebounding will be shoddy and the defense inconsistent. The offensive output needs to be better.

Kris Dunn: A-

This is the power of expectations. Considering a lot of people figured Kris Dunn would get played off the court in this series, his ability to not just play 30 minutes per game, but to have a massive impact in each game on the defensive end far exceeds expectations. He has been a monster on defense, making life difficult for Jamal Murray, deflecting passes, and generating steals on key possessions to get the Clippers out and running. The defense is A+, and the offense has been just good enough (3-9 from three, 3-6 from two) to keep him solidly in the A territory. A lowkey big plus for Dunn – he has no turnovers so far in this series, a huge deal considering how turnover prone the Clippers have been. There might be a point where the Nuggets’ disrespect of him on offense becomes too much and the Clippers have to go away from him, but that has not happened yet, and in the meantime, his defense is game-changing.

Kawhi Leonard: A-

Kawhi had a fairly forgettable Game 1 marred by turnovers and indecisiveness… and then followed that up with a truly special Game 2 performance. When you score 39 points on 15-19 shooting and play great on defense to boot, you get an A score almost regardless of how bad the other outing was. And certainly, while Game 2 was well below average for a Kawhi playoff performance, it wasn’t bad enough to come close to outweigh Game 2. Enough ink has been spilled and podcast and TV words spoken about Kawhi’s Game 2, but the shotmaking, ability to get to his spots on the court, and sheer willpower to win were all off the charts. It was a reminder of just how great Kawhi can be when he’s feeling it and fully locked in. He’s one of the best ever, and Game 2 is an example of why.

Ivica Zubac: B+

Zubac comes in just under an “A” grade for me even though I’m quite pleased with his play through two games. While he’s been good to very good in each contest, I don’t think he’s had a truly great game yet – and Ivica Zubac is now at the point where I think greatness is the bar for an A. That said, he’s defended Jokic about as well as possible, has rebounded the heck out of the ball, and been efficiently scoring on offense. The nitpicks are free throw shooting (5-9 so far) and turnovers (2.0 per game with a couple awful ones), but the base level is still excellent. I think we are due for one truly monster Zu game (like a 20-20), and it would be awesome to see that performance happen on this massive playoff stage against Jokic. Let’s speak it into existence.

Bench

Bogdan Bogdanovic: F

It’s hard to imagine Bogi having a worse two games than he’s had so far. He’s 0-8 from the field and has not scored a point in 27 minutes – pretty awful from a guy whose main attribute is scoring. The cherry on top of the shit sundae is that Bogi has 7 fouls in those minutes and has turned the ball over 5 times, giving him an insanely high turnover and foul rate. He hasn’t been able to do anything on offense and has been relentlessly targeted on defense. The Clippers are 1-1 with a chance to be 2-0 without anything from Bogi, which just means that if he can get on track, their chances improve greatly. Just one shot falling for Bogi could turn everything around – hopefully that’s the case.

Nic Batum: A

The ever-steady Nic Batum has made 5 of his 11 threes while playing his usual fantastic defense. Really, the only knocks on him are the 3.0 rebounds per game in 21 minutes, low for a player of his size, and his bad inbounds pass at the end of Game 1. Outside of that, he’s been terrific, and really my only complaint is that he should be getting more than 21 minutes per game. If Kris Dunn has an off night shooting the ball, look for Nico to take his spot in the closing lineup.

Ben Simmons: A-

Ben Simmons has only 2 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists in 21 minutes through two games. So why the strong grade? Well, one of the biggest worries going into the series was whether the Clippers would be able to survive the non-Zu minutes. And, so far, they have – in no small part due to Ben’s contributions. He’s been stout on defense, has had some nice passes on offense, and has not turned the ball over. Yes, his production numbers are not substantial. But all the Clippers need from him are a handful of competent minutes each half to give Zu a breather, and Ben has passed those expectations with flying colors. Let’s see if Ben can keep it up as the Nuggets get more used to playing against him.

Clippers Player Grades: Two Games In Against Nuggets
Robert Flom

The Clippers have an extended break from games right at the 25-game mark, making this a great time to catch up on player grades. They are still covering the full season, but are more weighted to recent play (since the last grades at the 10-game point). Thus there aren’t massive changes to most grades, but there has been some movement up and down, as well as the addition of several players who weren’t in the rotation back in early November.

The Starters

James Harden: A- (Previously, B+)

It has been quite a season for James Harden, who has proven doubters wrong time and time again by being able to be the lead offensive engine on a decent NBA team even at age 35 and in year 16. His overall field goal percentage of 37.9% is awful, but his efficiency of 55.6% True Shooting is actually decent because he’s started making his threes (33.8% on 8.4 per game) and is still a legendary foul drawer (89.6% on 8.2 attempts per game). Harden’s turnovers are still high (4.4), but have ticked down significantly (they were at 5.1 at the 10 game mark and even higher earlier) while his assists remain at 8.5. Harden has also remained mostly ok on defense this year, and has contributed massively as a rebounder (6.8). In short, the Clippers would be absolutely cooked on offense without his scoring and playmaking, and if the Clippers can remain in the playoff race at the All Star break with Harden putting up similar numbers, he will be absolutely worthy of another All-Star berth.

Norm Powell: A (Previously, A+)

Norm’s numbers are down slightly from the last time I did these grades in early November, but he’s still averaging career highs across the board, logging 23.6 points per game on insane 64.2% True Shooting. He is shooting a preposterous 48.6% from deep on 7.9 attempts per game, and has seemingly been in the zone all season along (except when playing the Rockets). His defense has slipped somewhat from his strong play to start the year, and he still doesn’t provide much on the glass or as a playmaker, but as long as he’s scoring at this rate and efficiency he will get top marks.

Kris Dunn: A (Previously, A+)

Kris Dunn’s three-point shooting has fallen off (he’s down to 32% on 3 attempts per game), but everything else has been stellar. He remains the Clippers’ best defensive player, a demon on the ball who forces turnovers at an insane rate without overgambling and making bad rotations. The rebounding is solid, the playmaking is usually sound, and he brings out one or two floaters or drives per game to help keep defenses honest. If he was still shooting the lights out from three this would remain an A+, but it’s still nearly impossible to complain about Dunn, who rates as one of the most impactful defensive players in the entire NBA and still contributes elsewhere.

Derrick Jones Jr.: A- (Previously, A-)

It’s almost hard to write about DJJ, as he’s been perhaps the most consistent player on the team. He shows up every game (though a hamstring injury might throw that off), plays very good defense on guards and wings, contributes at least one lob dunk a night, and usually connects on a three or two for good measure. He has, in short, been a very solid starting wing for the Clippers, especially on the defensive end, and has more than lived up to his offseason contract. Jones has had few truly standout games, but also only a couple legitimately underwhelming performances as well. That steadiness at his paygrade and for his expectations earns him a very healthy grade.

Ivica Zubac: A- (Previously, A)

Zu has gotten off to a rough start in December. Through four games, he’s averaging 9.8 points and 10 rebounds in 31.6 minutes per game while shooting just 47.2% from the field and 45.5% from the free throw line. His overall season remains quite strong (hence the grade), but he has definitely slowed over the past month after an incredibly dominant first eight games of the season or so. Some of Zu’s scoring being down has been on how the Clippers have used him, which has really puzzled me – he’s been operating a lot out near the three-point line on dribble hand-offs, which has taken him away from his comfort zone in the low post. Zu has still been an excellent rebounder and defender, but the Clippers have needed his scoring, and in some games haven’t gotten it due to poor offensive game planning. That might not be on Zu, but his production has taken a hit, and there have been a couple nights where the pouting and complaining has come back in force. Even at this level Zu is a very nice starting center, but he’s not playing at the All-Defense, All-Star level he was early in the year. And that’s fine!

The Reserves

Kevin Porter Jr.: D+ (Previously, D)

Even after a few weeks of better play, Kevin Porter Jr.’s season-long numbers remain dreadful. He’s scoring 9.3 points per game, but is doing so on a truly laughable 46.3% True Shooting. The NBA this season currently has a league average true shooting of 57.5%. Creators will usually have lower efficiency than play finishers, but that’s still terrible. In fact, of qualified players in Basketball Reference’s database this year, Kevin Porter Jr. ranks 190^th out of 192 players in True Shooting, ahead of only two rookies on the dreadful Wizards (Alex Sarr and Kyshawn George). Porter Jr. has played well enough on defense, and is a decent rebounder, but his scoring efficiency has been so bad that he ranks as one of the worst players in the NBA by impact metrics. It’s been absolutely awful to watch him this season – his process is just as bad as his results, with the over dribbling and poor decision-making – and it hasn’t led to winning basketball. The Clippers should have cast him from the rotation weeks ago, but it seems like a demotion just isn’t going to happen. He gets a D+ because he’s still better than he was earlier this year, and defense and rebounding has been fine.

Amir Coffey: A (Previously, A-)

What a season Amir Coffey is having. Amir is now the Clippers’ fourth-leading scorer at 10.2 points per game, and is doing his damage in just 24 minutes a night. Amir’s resurgence has been driven by his career-best three-point shooting on both attempts (3.9 a contest) and efficiency (43%). He’s been the team’s second-best shooter behind Norm Powell, and it feels like he is making just about all of his wide open catch-and-shoot jumpers. The defense is still just fine and the playmaking lacking, but Amir’s scoring and shooting has been very valuable, and well above his expectations. I was thinking he might be out of the rotation early in the year, and that looks quite foolish now.

Jordan Miller: B (Previously, NA)

Jordan now has around a dozen games of rotation-level minutes under his belt, and has, for the most part, acquitted himself well. Jordan is being graded on more-or-less a rookie-grade scale, as he played zero rotation minutes in his actual rookie season last year and only a handful of garbage time minutes. Considering that, Jordan has certainly looked like he’s belonged, averaging 7.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 16.3 minutes per game. He gets to the line more frequently (per shot) than anyone on the team but Harden, Norm, and Zu, and his ability to get downhill and draw contact is valuable. The three-point shooting hasn’t quite been there (7-23 for the season, 30.4%), but he’s a willing enough shooter and the shot looks fine. The defense has been a bit disappointing for a defense-first prospect, as Jordan has gotten lost in rotations a number of times, but those are rookie type mistakes I’m sure will get ironed out. He should be in the rotation for the rest of the season barring a drastic slippage in play.

Terance Mann: C- (Previously, D+)

After an awful start to the season, Terance was just beginning to play better when he hurt his finger last week. The shooting has improved (up to 34% from deep), the defense has remained solid, and Terance was just more active and forceful in the games leading up to his injury. The Clippers will continue to miss his defense and size on the perimeter, but hopefully when he comes back he will be able to hit the ground running.

Nic Batum: B- (Previously, B)

Nico’s three-point shooting has ticked up over the course of the season, and now sits at 35.9% after a slow start. Still below his averages, but the sample size is so small two consecutive makes would put him back in his normal range. And that’s honestly the issue. Nico is frequently invisible (at least on offense) and is playing the fewest minutes per game of his career (18). The defense remains excellent, and he’s the team’s smartest post passer, but he feels wasted playing on the Clippers’ discombobulated second unit. I like the Clippers’ starting five, but I wish Nico would play more with guys like Harden and Zu, since he fits in better around stronger teammates. Considering his age and veteran smarts, its hard to drop Nico too far in grades even with his minimal contributions on offense.

Mo Bamba: C+ (Previously, NA)

Mo gets a just-passing grade in my book. In the 10 games he’s played, he’s been thoroughly and utterly unremarkable, averaging 4.9 points and 3.9 rebounds in 13.2 minutes on very poor efficiency while playing passable defense. For a backup center, he’s been serviceable. Compared to Kai Jones, he’s looked like Hakeem Olajuwon. It would be nice if he made more of an impact on games, but for backup centers, just not screwing up and sinking the team is a passing mark. Hopefully Mo continues to improve as he gets into the swing of things, but for a minimum signing he’s been fine.

Deep Bench Players

Bones Hyland: B (Previously, NA)

Bones has recently played extensive minutes in two games, which just barely gets him up into the range of “worthy of a grade” (Kobe Brown, Cam Christie, and Trentyn Flowers missed this arbitrary cut-off). Bones has done Bones things this season: take a lot of threes, make bad rotations on defense, flash advanced playmaking in the midst of poor decisions, and pound the ball. Ultimately, the good, specifically the three-point shooting, has outweighed the bad. Somehow, in just 104 minutes, Bones Hyland has made 18 three pointers – two more than Terance Mann (484 minutes) and seven more than Kevin Porter Jr. (429 minutes). He has flaws, but his ability to shoot the ball still makes him a better (and more fun) option than Porter Jr. to me as the backup point guard. Alas, the Clippers’ coaching staff does not feel that way, and Bones remains on the outs when the team is healthy.

Kai Jones: F (Previously, F)

Kai Jones is very bad at playing NBA-level basketball. He’s barely played since Mo Bamba returned a month ago, but each game he has played he’s been an on-court negative. Going forward, if the Clippers are even close to healthy on the wing, they should just play small when one of Zu or Bamba is out instead of playing Kai. He just offers nothing that traditional big men do – rebounding, screens, or rim protection – while also not providing small-guy skills. It’s hard being so harsh on someone who plays hard and with energy but he’s simply not an NBA caliber player.

Bonus, The Coaching Staff: A (Previously, A-)

As always, there are quibbles one could make about rotations, or specific decisions in certain games. But the Clippers’ defense has held up as very good through nearly one-third of the season, and there have been just a couple of games where the Clippers did not look ready for gametime. It’s hard to imagine this team being much better than it has been considering injuries and talent, which means this roster is close to being maximized, and the coaching staff is doing its job excellently.

Clippers 2024-2025 Season Player Grades: The 25 Game Mark
Robert Flom

We are now 10 games into the Clippers’ season, which means it is time to take a step back and hand out some grades for each player’s performance so far. The Clippers are 6-4 with a hard schedule and without Kawhi Leonard, which means they have played above expectations, and therefore the majority of player grades will be positive as well. These grades will exclude deep bench players who have only appeared in two garbage time contests: Kobe Brown, Jordan Miller, and Bones Hyland.

The Starters

James Harden: B+

The System has lived up to his nickname this year. Harden’s production as a 35-year-old with a million NBA miles under his belt has been impressive, as he ranks second on the team in minutes (34.9), points (21.2), and rebounds (8.1, with no other Clipper outside of Zu above 3.9) while leading the team in assists (9.0) by a mile, with the next-highest teammates being Zu and Porter Jr at 2.8. Yes, he’s turning the ball over an insane and frustrating amount (5.2 per game, with at least 2 of those being on lazy dribbles or passes) and can’t hit a shot (29.6% on 8.1 threes and 42.4% on 8.5 twos). But the Clippers’ offense would almost certainly go from 21^st to 30^th without his efforts, and he’s even been better on defense this season for the most part. At this rate Harden will 100% be burnt out by Christmas, so let’s hope Kawhi Leonard does in fact return to the court sooner than later to take some of the load off of Uno’s shoulders.

Norm Powell: A+

What is there to say about Norm Powell at this point? Norm is scoring an astonishing 25.5 points per game in 34.2 minutes (both career highs) while shooting an even more astounding 49.4% from deep on 8.4 attempts per game. He simply can’t miss from behind the arc and is leveraging the gravity his shooting is providing him to get to the rim and finish or draw fouls on over pursuing defenders. Not only that, but Norm has been contributing above expectations elsewhere too. He is up to 3.4 rebounds per game – not much, perhaps, but it’s the second-best mark of Norm’s career. His 2.4 assists per contest are similarly not all that impressive but are a massive leap for Norm and represent a career high. He’s even been mostly solid on defense after being pretty bad on that end the past couple years. Simply put, Norm has been playing at a star-level, with advanced metrics backing up the eye test and raw numbers that he’s legitimately been one of the best players in the NBA so far this season. The three-point shooting will probably regress at some point, but as long as the process remains this good Norm will be a fantastic player for this team. I’ve been very wrong on him so far, and it’s been delightful.

Derrick Jones Jr.: A-

Derrick Jones Jr. remains exactly the player who the Clippers hoped they were getting his year. His perimeter defense has been phenomenal, and he is one of the primary drivers behind their 4^th ranked start on that end. DJJ is connecting on 40.5% of his threes while launching a career high 3.7 per game, and is scoring over 10 points per game through the outside shooting as well as his above-the-rim exploits. The combination of shooting (albeit still on low volume), defense, and finishing makes DJJ a prototypical “3 and D” player, and he’s been a very smooth fit with the Clippers’ best players. When Kawhi eventually returns, it’s hard to imagine DJJ is the one who goes to the bench. He ranks 4^th on the team in minutes (26.5) and scoring (10.3), tied for second in steals (1.1), and third in three-point makes (15) to this point.

Terance Mann: D+

I’m giving Mann a slightly better grade than Kevin Porter Jr. because he’s been a stronger defender and is scoring a tad more efficiently. That said, it has been an immensely disappointing first 10 games for Terance, who was given a starting spot at the outset of the season for the first time in his career and has not done much with the opportunity. The defense has mostly been solid, and while Terance and the Clippers might say that’s his main role, the Clippers need more from him on offense. 5.1 points in 23.2 minutes while shooting 16.7% from three and 48.6% from two won’t cut it, nor will the 1.8 three-point attempts per game. Terance provides defense and rebounding and a modicum of ballhandling and all of that has value, but if he’s not a threat on offense he can’t play even this much.

Ivica Zubac: A

Big Zu has slowed somewhat since his first few games, but only slightly. He’s still on pace for the best season of his career by a massive, massive margin, with his 16.4 points (previous high of 11.7), 12.7 (9.9), 2.8 assists (1.6), 0.8 steals (0.5), and 35.1 minutes (28.6) all placing as career highs. He’s taken on a higher usage role with aplomb, only sacrificing a bit of efficiency to take significantly more shots and playmaking duties. Most importantly, the defense and rebounding have been on point, and are the two biggest reasons the Clippers have the 4^th best defense and are an above-average team on the glass despite being so small without Kawhi Leonard. Zu is currently a leading contender for Most Improved Player for good reason. Can he sustain this over 82 games? I still find it somewhat unlikely. But if he can, his recently signed extension will be a steal. Two-way big men do not grow on trees, and Zu has solidified himself as a very good starting center in this league.

The Reserves

Kris Dunn: A+

Ten games into his Clippers’ tenure, Kris Dunn has solidified himself as a true fan favorite. His ferocious perimeter defense, hustle, and timely scoring has made him beloved by fans in an incredibly short period of time. The offensive skills have been the most surprising element – we all knew he’d be great on defense, but I don’t think expectations on offense were high. Well, Dunn is chipping in 6.7 points in 21 minutes and is doing so while shooting 45.8% from three (2.4 attempts per game) and 69.6% from two. While he’s not creating a ton of shots, Dunn is averaging 2.2 assists to just 1 turnover, making him one of only three Clippers (Mann and Batum are the other two) with assist to turnover ratios of over 2:1. Finally, Dunn has been a solid rebounder, ranking 5^th on the team in total rebound percentage. He just doesn’t make many mistakes, and his defense is so good it’s helped lift the whole team. I really just wished he played a lot more than 21 minutes per game.

Kevin Porter Jr.: D

Porter Jr.’s grade would have been lower if it weren’t for his 15 point, 6 rebound, 5 assist game against the Raptors last night – his first actual, legitimate good game of the season. Considering we are 10 games in, that indicates the overall quality we’ve seen from him so far. Porter’s efficiency is an incredibly bad 42.1% True Shooting, largely because he’s 4-23 from three and has only gotten to the line 13 times despite taking 87 shots. He only recently broke the 1:1 assist to turnover ratio with 2.8 to 2.5 averages respectively. The best things that can be said about Porter Jr. is that his defense has been better than expected (albeit not as good as the broadcast keeps saying) and his rebounding has been an actual positive. The shots will probably start dropping more than they have so far, but if the process – overdribbling, inability to create clean looks from anywhere, and a tendency to settle for midrangers – doesn’t improve, I’ll remain just as frustrated by his play as I have been so far. He’s been one of the worst veterans in the NBA by nearly every advanced metric, which is borne out by the eye test. Hopefully for my eyeballs’ sake if nothing else he continues to improve in the coming games.

Amir Coffey: A-

Everyone who had Amir Coffey as 6^th on the Clippers in minutes and as the member of closing lineups multiple times through 10 games raise your hands. Now put them down, you liars. Amir has played a shockingly large role for the Clips early on as the guy whose spot in the rotation was considered the shakiest entering the season. And, honestly, it’s hard to quibble all that much (ok, him playing more minutes than Kris Dunn and Nic Batum is kind of ludicrous but that’s more about those guys than Amir). Amir is shooting 53.6% from three (15-28) thus far and is playing by far the best defense of his career. He remains an astoundingly bad rebounder and a confoundingly heads-down driver who almost seems to refuse to pass as a funny bit (0.6 assists in his 22.9 minutes), but as a “3 and D” player he’s been excellent.

Nic Batum: B

Nico has gotten off to a somewhat slow start shooting the ball, as he’s at 29.2% from three (7-24) so far. That is, of course, a tiny sample size, with even two consecutive makes putting him back in the mid-30s. Despite that, he continues to do all the little things that we’ve come to expect of Nico, with the most important being playing small-ball center because Kai Jones (see below) is simply not an NBA caliber big man. Nico is averaging 2 assists in his 18.3 minutes per game despite barely touching the basketball, a sign of his ability to make quick reads in the flow of offense a step ahead of the defense. I have zero doubt the shot will come around soon, but even without the shots dropping teams respect Nico, which means the spacing is good with him out there anyway. As always, my main complaint is that I just think he should be playing more, especially with Kawhi out. Nico’s ability to both defend out on the perimeter and serve as the last line of help on the interior remains remarkable for a 6’8 player of his age.

Kai Jones: F

After playing 13 minutes in the season opener against the Suns, Kai has cracked 10 minutes just one other game, against the Blazers, and it’s not a surprise that outing was a disappointing loss. Frankly, Kai Jones is not an NBA quality basketball player right now. He plays very hard, which means I don’t like being harsh on him like this, but he just does not offer anything at a plus level: he’s a bad rebounder, an abysmal defensive player who is constantly out of position, and a limited offensive player who can’t set proper screens. Kai has played in nine games, and in four of them has played exclusively in the first half in stints of less than five minutes. It does not make much sense to keep trotting him out there for a few minutes, and I really hope the Clippers fully pivot away from him even with Mo Bamba out. He’s just very bad at this point of his career.

Bonus, The Coaching Staff: A-

There are quibbles one can make with the Clippers’ coaching staff, whether it be their dedication to Kai Jones and Kevin Porter Jr. or the team’s inability to run any offense in the 4^th quarter. However, there’s zero doubt they have had this team ready to compete every game, and they have gotten them to fully, completely buy in on defense. The Clippers are not the most talented roster in the NBA by a longshot, but have gone 6-4 against a difficult schedule with only one truly bad loss and multiple very impressive wins, and while the credit for that must mostly go to the players, the coaching staff deserves their flowers as well.

Clippers 2024-2025 Season Player Grades: 10 Games In
Robert Flom

Our first player grades of the season drop with the Clippers sitting at 2-1 after excellent back to back wins on the road against the Nuggets and Warriors.

James Harden: A-

The Beard is leading the Clippers in scoring (25 points), leading the entire NBA in assists (11.7), and is chipping in 8.7 rebounds per game in his 37.7 minutes. That’s quite a lot of production for a 35-year-old guard, and Harden has undoubtedly been the best player on this surprising Clippers’ squad. However, he’s shooting 36.2% from the field and 19.2% from three (8.7 attempts) while turning the ball over a ghastly 6.7 times per game. Harden’s saving grace efficiency-wise is that he’s getting to the line 10.3 times per game (shooting 90.3%) and is shooting 50% on two-pointers. Still, while he has to be aggressive with Kawhi out and PG gone, he’s settling for either too many stepback threes or wild drives to the paint rather than taking simple midrangers or floaters, and that has killed his efficiency. I hope that even if the production dips, the efficiency rises and turnovers decrease in the coming games. Still, it’s hard to really complain given the immense offensive load he bears for this team.

Norman Powell: A

Norm has been on an incredible heater to start the year, averaging 24.7 points while shooting 51.9% from the field, 40% from three (8 attempts per game) and 83.3% from the line (4 attempts per game). His scoring almost single-handedly won the Clippers the Nuggets game in the 4^th quarter, and his big 3^rd period against the Warriors helped stave off a run by the bad guys. He won’t continue shooting this well forever, but I love how many threes he’s taking and how aggressive he is in getting to the rim. The only reason this isn’t an A+ is for classic Norm reasons: he’s barely contributing on the glass (2.7 per game in 33.7 minutes) or as a playmaker (1.3 assists). His defense on the whole has been better than normal, though he’s still a weak link on this defense-first Clippers squad. Great start for Norm.

Derrick Jones Jr.: A

The Clippers are getting exactly what they signed up for from DJJ, who is averaging 13 points, 3.0 rebounds, 0.7 assists, and 1.7 steals in 30.3 minutes per game to start his Clippers career. The 60% from three (6-10 will not hold, but he’s taking open looks with confidence, and is not hesitating on attacking closeouts either. The main reason the Clippers added Jones is for his defense, and he has not disappointed, serving as an absolute pest at the point of attack and forcing turnovers while still playing smart and disciplined team defense. Outside of Kris Dunn and Zu, he’s the next most important piece to this ferocious (3^rd ranked) Clippers’ defense early on. And his ability to finish above the rim on lobs and as an offensive rebounder has been great to see, as the Clippers have lacked such an athletic wing for years.

Terance Mann: D

After a solid opening game against the Suns that was marred mostly by foul trouble, Terance had complete duds against the Nuggets and Warriors. He’s averaging 3.3 points, 3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 22 minutes per game and is shooting 33.3% from the field (5-15) while not making a three (0-4) or free throw (0-3) through three games. His defense, outside of aggressive over-fouling, has been decent, and that keeps his grade in the D instead of F range, but the passivity on offense has been really bad to start the year. The Clippers need Terance to play better, and based on his career, he will do so. But it has been ugly to see him pass up open looks or not push the pace on drives.

Ivica Zubac: A+

Zu is not just the story of the Clippers’ season so far, he’s one of the stories of the entire NBA. Averaging an insane 22.7 points, 14 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in 36.7 minutes per game, Zu is dominating on both ends of the court. On defense, he’s protecting the rim as well as ever, gobbling up rebounds, and even switching out onto the perimeter effectively at times. On offense, he’s acting as a legitimate hub and go-to presence, overpowering smaller defenders and nailing seemingly all of his little push shots and floaters around the basket. The patience, footwork, and vision by Zu on offense are all things that weren’t quite there just a few years ago, and really show his development. He almost certainly won’t continue playing at this level, but if he can keep this up even at 90% for the rest of the season he will be in consideration for All-Defense teams and maybe even the All-Star Game. That’s how good he’s been.

Kris Dunn: A+

While Dunn has not been the best player on the Clippers through three games, he has perhaps been the most fun to watch. I am not sure if I’ve ever seen a better perimeter defender on the Clippers, and while that might sound like hyperbole, Dunn has really been that good so far. He’s averaging 2 steals in just 22.3 minutes, and is doing so without gambling wildly or compromising the team defense. He gets deflections, he almost always make the correct rotations, he’s a lockdown one-on-one guy, and his 6.3 rebounds have been crucial for an undersized Clippers team. On top of all that, Dunn’s offense has been pretty good! He’s averaging 7.3 points on 60% shooting and 44.4% from three (4-9) with 2.3 assists to 1.3 turnovers per game as well. If he keeps this up, he’s well on his way to a legendary Clippers’ role player season.

Kevin Porter Jr.: F

There’s an argument to be made that Kevin Porter Jr. has been the worst rotation player on a good team to start this season. He’s averaging 4.3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 turnovers in 15 minutes per game, and is shooting an ungodly 20% (5-25) from the field and 11.1% (1-9) from three. Worse than the results on offense is the process, which consists mostly of him overdribbling and then launching contested jumpers. His defense has also been bad, with a few nice steals on gambles not making up for poor point of attack defense or sloppy off-ball play. I was not high on Porter Jr. as a signing, but this stretch of play has been abominably bad, and if it continues for even a couple more games than he has to be pulled from the rotation. The shots probably will drop at some point, but if the process doesn’t improve I really don’t care. Advanced metrics usually need a reasonable sample size to be meaningful, but it’s indicative of how bad he’s been that he has a -16.7 BPM and -0.262 WS/48 numbers on basketball reference, when anything below -4 or 0 respectively are considered abysmal (Avery Bradley was a -4.6 BPM and -0.011 WS/48 in his atrocious 2019 Clippers campaign). An absolute eye sore on the court.

Amir Coffey: B

Amir has been solid so far. Averaging 6.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 0.7 steals in 23 minutes per game, Amir has shot well from the field (7-14) and three (3-6) while contributing some of the best defense of his career. His grade isn’t higher because I do wish the Clippers were getting a tad more offensive punch from him with Porter Jr. struggling so much, but a lot of that isn’t Amir’s fault. He’s been getting heat from fans on Twitter (largely because he’s playing over Jordan Miller) which I think is undeserved. It’s been a nice start to the season for Amir.

Nic Batum: B-

As always, Nico’s stats don’t jump off the page. He’s averaging just 3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 20.3 minutes per game, and is a total of 2-6 from the field in that span. However, his defense has been as good as ever, and is one of the reasons why the Clippers’ team defense has been so stout. Moreover, his ability to play small-ball center in small doses has helped immensely when the Clips have gone away from Kai Jones in the second half of games. The shots will start falling sooner or later, but Nico brings defense, smart passing, and all the little things.

Kai Jones: C-

Kai has only played 21 minutes across three games, and just 9 in the last two, so his sample size of play is tiny. In those minutes, he’s largely failed to stand out one way or another, but the coaching staff’s lack of trust in him is notable. I’ll knock him down to a C- because of his complete lack of impact over the last two games, even in limited minutes.

Clippers 2024-2025 Season Player Grades: Three Games In
Robert Flom

Well, we are just about at Christmas, which is not the mathematical halfway point of the NBA season, but is more of the figurative midway figure. The Clippers are 17-15, in fifth place in the Western Conference with no Kawhi Leonard and limited games from Marcus Morris, Nic Batum, and Serge Ibaka. At this Christmas breathing point, I thought it would be fun to review the seasons of every Clippers player and assign completely meaningless grades for their play. The players are graded on a curve – Paul George is not on the same scale as Keon Johnson – and availability is a big factor, especially considering this COVID-riddled year. Without further ado:

Amir Coffey – B

Coffey hasn’t played a ton this year, and has not shot the ball well at all, but when he has played, he’s been competent defensively and brought energy in transition on offense. Considering that he’s still “just” a two-way player, such replacement level play is actual quite nice. There hasn’t been a ton of development for Amir on offense, yet his defensive contributions should keep him on the fringe of the rotation and as a situational player for Ty Lue. Very solid depth piece.

Brandon Boston Jr. – B+

Brandon Boston Jr. is actually extremely tough to grade. On one hand, his flashes, especially in his 27-point game against the Celtics and 13-point outing against the Blazers, have been extremely tantalizing. On the other, on the whole, he’s been mostly bad, and since he’s gotten a good amount of rotation minutes, his poor play has been damaging. His biggest issue outside of simple inefficiency have been some ghastly turnovers. His defense, for a scrawny young rookie, has been quite impressive. I’ll be generous to the rookie – it’s not his fault he’s been pressed into rotation minutes, and his good games have actually won the Clippers a couple games.

Eric Bledsoe – C-

Bledsoe has not been particularly good this season, but a lot of that can’t be placed on his shoulders. Ty Lue started him alongside Reggie Jackson and Paul George, which put Bledsoe off-ball, and considering how bad a shooter he is, that lineup did him no favors. Still, his poor shooting, inconsistent playmaking, and sometimes awful turnovers has meant he’s been a negative more often than not this year. His play has improved a lot over the last few weeks since he was moved to the bench and decoupled from Reggie, and his defense has mostly been good. That combined with his availability for all 32 games keeps him from a complete failing grade,, but it’s a near-run thing.

Isaiah Hartenstein – A+

Isaiah Hartenstein has been a revelation for the Clippers this year. By most advanced metrics (EPM, RAPTOR, BPM) he’s been one of the best players on the team by impact, and the eye test bears that out. He’s been an effective finisher, a plus defender, a sometimes dazzling passer, and a bringer of energy on a nightly basis. He’s not perfect – he can’t shoot, his defensive positioning is sometimes rough, and he fouls far too regularly – but considering he was a training camp signing it’s impossible to complain. Where would the Clippers be without Hartenstein? It’s not a pleasant thought.

Ivica Zubac – B+

Zu has been a largely similar player to last season, which is totally fine. In his sixth season in the NBA, Zu’s development is probably largely over, and that’s ok, as he’s a perfectly competent starting center who has nearly always been available for the Clippers. He’s played in every game this season and as been a bulwark on defense for what’s been a top five defensive unit most of the season. He’s limited on offense, but remains a good finisher, a potent offensive rebounder, and a mostly capable passer. There are nights where he doesn’t make much an impact on offense, or can’t hold his own against smaller lineups – that much can’t be denied. Nor can his solid play on both ends and total availability.

Jay Scrubb – Inc

Scrubb has only played 54 minutes for the Clippers, nearly all of them in garbage time, so it’s tough to grade his season. That said, the fact that he hasn’t gotten a look in the rotation despite all the injuries the Clippers have faced does not bode particularly well. Brandon Boston and Amir Coffey are firmly above him, and a couple games ago against the Kings, Keon Johnson was as well. Scrubb is young, but the Clippers haven’t invested too heavily in him, and for his sake hopefully he gets a shot soon.

Justise Winslow – D

Justise Winslow was a gamble the Clippers took – a gamble that a year further removed from hip surgery, Winslow would be more of the Swiss Army Knife type player he was on both ends for the Heat instead of the completely ineffective option he was for the Grizzlies. While he hasn’t been quite that bad this year, he’s still been a significant negative impact player, which is a disappointment considering the Clippers signed him for an above-minimum deal. His defense has been fine (but not great), and his rebounding is welcome, but his complete inability to shoot or finish around the basket makes him a vast negative on offense. Considering the Clippers’ weaknesses on offense and relative strength on defense, Winslow doesn’t appear to be someone they’ll play when fully healthy.

Keon Johnson – Inc

The Clippers’ first-round pick of the 2021 Draft has only played in 38 minutes in the season to date across six games. Fifteen of those minutes came in the win over the Kings, where Johnson brought a lot of energy and some promising defense. He’s also had some nice games in the G-League. It’s all very early for Keon, who’s young, raw, and very much a project, but maybe he gets more rotation minutes in the next few games.

Luke Kennard – A-

Luke Kennard’s shooting has been much ballyhooed this season – and for good reason. The guard from Duke is shooting 45.1% from three on 6.2 attempts per game, which is phenomenal. He’s an absolute marksman. However, that was largely the case last season, and while Kennard is taking 66% of his shots from three instead of 54%, his efficiency is worse on the whole since his two-point scoring is much worse. Rather, his big leap this season has been on defense, where he’s been roughly fine after being well below average last year. He’s fighting around screens more, playing more physically, and rotating more swiftly. All good stuff. Luke certainly hasn’t developed into the on-ball combo guard it seems the Clippers originally envisioned, but his shooting with competent defense is a valuable player. Also, he’s only missed one game while averaging 29 minutes per game, and this season, availability is even more important than usual.

Marcus Morris – D+

Look, Marcus Morris has been *fine* this year when he’s played, on the whole. However, he’s appeared in only 13 games, and was pretty bad in around half of them before really coming on a couple weeks back. Seven good games out of 32 for a player who was not just supposed to be starting but was also supposed to step up with Kawhi Leonard out is undeniably bad. You can’t blame Morris for his injuries, or for getting COVID. That said, he’s barely made an impact on the Clippers this year, and that’s a big reason why they’re struggling to stay above .500.

Moses Wright – Inc

Wright has played one minute for the Clippers and isn’t likely to play much more.

Nicolas Batum – B-

If these grades ignored games and minutes played, Nico would be at an A- or so, as his actual play this season has mostly been superb. He’s been every bit as good as he was last year, when he was the Clippers’ third-best player, and continues to fill a valuable connector role on offense while also shooting 42% from three and playing superb defense. Unfortunately, Nic has only played in 18 out of 32 games, and has had limited minutes in several of those, so it’s tough to give him much more than a pass for this season.

Paul George – C+

The MVPG days are way, way behind us at this point. After a superb start to the season, Paul George’s play has fallen – maybe not off a cliff, but down a steep road – from legitimate MVP levels to more around standard All Star levels. That is not good enough. George is scoring less than last season on a Per 100 possession basis, which is crazy considering he is the team’s lone star this season. His assist and rebound numbers are also virtually identical to last season, while his turnovers are up. His efficiency has cratered. About the only thing PG is doing better this year is defense, where he’s been close to his All-Defense level prime. George has still, for the totality of the season, been quite good. And he’s been dealing with injuries, which excuses some of the poor shooting. It’s impossible to say he’s been a failure, but it’s certainly fair to be disappointed, especially considering how great he was over the first 10 games of the season or so.

Reggie Jackson – C

Poor Reggie Jackson has been asked to shoulder a load far, far above his paygrade this season. Now, he hasn’t performed particularly well in this role, but nobody really should have expected him too. The frustrating issues with Reggie are the ones that go outside of his too-large role as the team’s primary or secondary playmaker, ball-handler, and creator on a Clippers’ squad that severely lacks other creation options. These include the awful hero ball in crunch time, the poor shot selection throughout games, and defense that still includes some ghastly mistakes despite mostly good effort. Reggie has been bad this year – he’s scoring the ball at a pitiful 49% True Shooting – but it’s difficult to place too much blame on him.

Serge Ibaka – D+

It’s not Serge’s fault that he’s been pushed out of the rotation – he got injured, and while he was out, Hartenstein solidified himself as too valuable a member of the team to bench again. Still, even when he’s played, he hasn’t been particularly effective on either end. Add in the rumblings of discontentment due to being benched, and it’s had not to view this as a disappointing season. Hopefully Serge can get back into things with Hartenstein out – he still offers things that nobody else on the team does, and should be a useful player in the postseason. His performance against the Kings is a good start.

Terance Mann – B

There’s been a weird sense that Terance has been a disappointment this season. And, for those expecting a huge leap, maybe it has been somewhat of a letdown. But Mann has put up nearly identical numbers to last year while playing far more minutes per game, and in less favorable lineups. His finishing around the basket remains superb, he’s a mostly competent defender, he adds energy in transition, and his three-point shooting has been solid on higher volume (though he still hesitates too much). He hasn’t added the creation that people may have hoped for, but he’s been a solid player this year, and has only missed one contest while playing by far the highest minutes of his career. Maybe this is just who Terance is – and that’s totally ok, since he’s a great rotation player that fits perfectly on the team when fully healthy.

That about does it for the Clippers player grades here at Christmas 2021. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Clippers Player Grades: Christmas 2021
Robert Flom

The Clippers went into Tampa Bay and defeated an injury-riddled Toronto Raptors team. The score holds true to the lopsidedness of the game, but there were many moments of bad basketball being played by the Clippers. Let’s take a look at who earned which grades.

CLIPPERS STARTER GRADES

Patrick Beverley: C. In his return to the starting unit, Pat’s performance was very “meh.” And it’s hard to tell if that’s due to him being rusty, or if the Raptors’ length frustrated him — so we’ll go with a mixture of both. The length of the Raptors did stymie Pat though, forcing him to pick up his dribble after being stuck when driving to the basket. His defensive contributions were solid I guess, but with the Raptors missing all of their good guards he didn’t stand out as much on that end. He did finish with 6 boards on the night, but I’d expect that Pat will look better as he finds his flow again being on the court with the starters. Again, “MEH” from Pat Bev.

Paul George: C. Let’s get right to it: SIX turnovers from PG tonight, including a few really weird ones in which his passes were not even close to being on target. His shot failed him early in the game and then some foul trouble created an out-of-sorts PG for the majority of the game. To his credit, he stayed relatively engaged on defense throughout the game — highlighted by a third-quarter sequence in which he scored a fastbreak layup after poking a ball loose from behind, and then taking a charge shortly after. He did finish with a team-best plus-27, but there wasn’t a whole lot of good outside of that. Let’s hope that these kinds of games are left in the regular season.

Kawhi Leonard: B+. Game 1 (last week) of Raptors vs. Clippers was similar to the 2019-2020 season matchups between the two teams being that Nick Nurse and Co. forced Kawhi to be a passer. Well, Kawhi got some payback this time around. Still, with getting up just 10 shots in 30 minutes, he had a lot more freedom in attacking one-on-one matchups — getting downhill to draw fouls, finish at the rim, and find teammates. He looked crisp for the most part and that’s what you like to see heading into the playoffs. Kawhi finished with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals. 

Marcus Morris Sr.: B+. Outside of some little knocks that he took towards his last minutes on the courts, I liked everything about Marcus Morris tonight. He’s really exceeded expectations in terms of fitting in with the team and not taking away from the others. Like the last Raptors game, he feasted as a floor-spacer and took advantage of his few opportunities as an ISO player. I didn’t think he had much of an impact elsewhere on the court outside of a few defensive possessions where he looked good, but that’s not to say he was bad. This level of play should be good enough to help the Clips win some playoffs games.

Ivica Zubac: A-. I know it’s been talked about quite a bit throughout the season, but I can’t stop crediting Zu for his growth as a pick-and-roll player. He’s been so great in both the short roll and reading the defenses that on occasion he’s almost single-handedly destroying opposing teams’ gameplans. Toronto did their usual double-teaming on Kawhi, but he found Zu time after time for dunks, quick little post moves, and then extra passes once the defense committed. This is going to be important during the playoffs when teams commit to taking the ball out of certain Clippers’ hands, and Zu’s dual-threat capability as a roller makes him a more lucrative option than a non-finishing-above-the-rim guy like Boogie or any small-ball option. And to top off all that was right with this performance, we have the luxury of knowing that Zu will be sticking around the starting lineup upon Serge’s return to the court. 

CLIPPERS BENCH PLAYER GRADES

Rajon Rondo. B+: Rondo displayed perhaps one of his better shifts as a Clipper during the second quarter of this game against Toronto. No, the competition wasn’t great, but the stringing together of three three-pointers and incredible passes to Zubac dunks really was fun to watch. This flurry was a big reason why he’d finish with 11 points and 4 assists in 15 minutes. Not that a veteran like Rondo needed this kind of game, but it was somewhat important due to how Toronto made Rondo look last time around — crowding the paint and taking away driving opportunities while letting Rondo clank three-pointers. Reggie would come into that game and somewhat save the day down the stretch. Rajon isn’t going to shoot like this every game but it’s nice to know that he’s capable of it from time to time.

Nicolas Batum: B. It was another 5-point performance — could have been more if he had his corner three falling — but in true “handyman” fashion he pulled down an impressive 9 rebounds and 4 assists in just 23 minutes. Really short analysis, but he was who he has been all season long — which is good news. I think Nico enjoys playing against Toronto. 

Reggie Jackson: C+. For the first time in what feels like forever, Reggie made his way back to the second unit. He entered the fold as Pat Bev’s replacement and assumed the role of a spot-up shooter. The only problem with that was that none of those shots were falling — which made him far less impactful on the court. He tried to get himself going but that led to some of those classic Reggie moments, including an unforced fastbreak turnover. The shooting isn’t going to fall off of a cliff, so this game is more of an anomaly. Ultimately, Terance Mann (more on him below) played phenomenally and stole some Reggie minutes. It happens.

Terance Mann: A+. I never played in the NBA, but being someone with some high-quality basketball experience, it’s HARD to play consistently when you’re in and out of the lineup so often — so shoutout to Terance for always being able to hoop when his number is called. Not only did he “hoop” against the Raps, but he was also nearly flawless while on the court. At a perfect 7/7 from the field with a three-point make, Terance Mann’s 20 points were the highlight of the day — although, his mother may have something to say about that.

NO GRADES

Jay Scrubb made his NBA debut and went scoreless in 4 minutes, while Boogie got an early 7-minute shift but didn’t do much with those minutes. Luke Kennard, Daniel Oturu, and Yogi Ferrell also saw the court for a few minutes of garbage time, while Patrick Patterson was the only healthy Clipper to not see the court. Amir Coffey missed the game due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, and Serge Ibaka remained out with a back injury.

Clippers vs Raptors Player Grades (Part 2)
Cole Huff

The Clippers dominated a depleted Lakers team to earn a season sweep for the first time since the 2015-2016 season. Let’s take a look at how the players performed and what grades they earned.

CLIPPERS STARTER GRADES

Reggie Jackson: B+. Great shooting guards minutes from Reggie this game as he operated as mostly an off-ball, catch-and-shoot ace tonight — exactly what the Clippers need from him. I thought he really played within the offense and cut back on the “oh no, Reggie” moments quite a bit. Also worth mentioning is that Reggie has been serviceable on defense as of late. He won’t be confused for Patrick Beverley, but his ability to be no worse than a neutral has allowed for Pat and Rondo to keep their minutes down. With 10 points and 4 rebounds with two threes on 57% shooting, he earns a “Good Reggie” in this one.

Paul George: A-. A well-rounded game for Paul George, as both he and Kawhi kickstarted the drumming of the Lakers from the jump. He had his hand in just about every facet of the offense — facilitating out of the dribble drive, crashing the defensive glass, and scoring at every level. Defensively, he did a good job of staying connected to some of the Lakers’ shooters and not having mental slippage on defense, which is easy to have in a lopsided game. But he wasn’t perfect. PG had 5 turnovers — which dings his grade a bit. Otherwise, Paul had a good game and was able to keep his minutes low. 24/7/5 for him on the night.

Kawhi Leonard: B+. What we’ve seen from Kawhi in his recent return to the court is somewhat reminiscent of what he was giving us early in the season. Many are calling for him to be more aggressive offensively, but honestly, he seems to be enabling his teammates. Kawhi has taken the backseat for the most part — letting PG cook, Rondo run the offense, and for Ty Lue’s offense to move through its sets, all while flourishing as a passer. This is exactly what he did throughout the entirety of the game while preserving energy and working his way back into game shape. It’s a little bit frustrating in losses, but I enjoy the process. It feels so different than last year. He managed 15 points and 8 rebounds while earning 6 assists in a variety of ways. Like PG, his five turnovers were worthy of a knock on his grade. 

Marcus Morris Sr.: B+. Mook’s performance was very similar to Reggie’s — he played his role as an elite catch-and-shoot floor spacer while being serviceable on defense. For the iso-ball watchers, Morris Sr. was opportunistic in his post-ups tonight as he only really operated on the smaller Alex Caruso — whom he cooked. If we see the Lakers again, it’ll be interesting to see what he looks like as the primary defender on Anthony Davis for a full game, which he avoided tonight. However, that’s neither here nor there, A good showing for the twin that is better at basketball than the other. 

Ivica Zubac: A. To put it shortly, Ivica Zubac was the best big on the floor all night by a wide margin. I really don’t need to say much more than that, but I suppose I should. Zu frustrated Drummond throughout the night as Andre forced up some bad-looking shots near the rim, and Zu provided his usual team defense as a rim deterrent. He also was a man amongst boys on offense — finishing everything at and on the rim with power. Simply put, he looked younger, faster, sprier, and played harder than the other bigs. Maybe the best Clipper on the night. He ended with 14 points, 8 rebounds, and a block.

CLIPPERS BENCH PLAYER GRADES

DeMarcus Cousins: B+. If Zu was the best available big throughout the night maybe Boogie was second? Sounds weird to say in the year 2021, but it’s where we’re at. Cousins started the game going to work on Montrezl Harrell before capping off his 11-point half with a transition dunk (off of a steal) and catch-and-shoot three. He didn’t do much more than that as the game was pretty much decided by the time he saw action in the second half, though he did struggle a bit guarding Trezz as he went full-on iso-mode. The Boogie experience is always fun and should continue to be as he seems to have leap-frogged PatPat as the backup big. 

Rajon Rondo. B+: Passing — check. Finishing at the rim — check. Made jump shots — check. Rondo checked the three most important boxes when examining his performance, and did it without trying to overly-manage the game. He helped keep the lead large while both stars were off the court — that’s good enough for me on almost any night. Also, he seemed to work a little better with Luke’s spacing as opposed to Terance’s. We’ll keep an eye on that.

Nicolas Batum: A-. Very, very, very good Nico game. In typical fashion, he didn’t stuff the stat sheet (5points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist), but his presence and energy were felt everywhere on the court. It was one of his better cutting to the basket games since early in the season — he made himself available time and time again for some non-threes. He was also quite good with his activity on the glass; making extra efforts to outwork Laker players. Let’s hope Nico continues to trend upward down the stretch.

Patrick Beverley: B. The second-unit pairing with Pat and Rondo looked much better against the Lakers than it did against the Raptors. For Pat personally, he looked about as expected in just his second game back from injury — slightly slow on his reactions and a little awkward with some of his decision-making on offense. But his jump shot looks fine — important, and he looks healthy — more important. Wasn’t the best version of Pat in this game, but he’ll get there.

Luke Kennard: B-. A surprise appearance in the rotation today, Luke filled the Terance Mann minutes. His visibility was off and on throughout his 16 minutes, but his biggest contribution to the game was the spacing he provided for the rest of the bench unit to operate — something that had been awkward in recent games. Despite his minimal contributions to the stat sheet, he certainly didn’t hurt the team in any way, and for that, he earns a slightly above-average grade.

NO GRADES

Terance Mann, Daniel Oturu, and Yogi Ferrell played 4 minutes of garbage time, while Patrick Patterson was the only healthy Clipper to not see the court. Amir Coffey missed the game due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, and Serge Ibaka remained out with a back injury.

Clippers vs Lakers Player Grades: Sweet Victory
Cole Huff

The Clippers slid to the fourth seed in the Western Conference after losing the season series to the undermanned Denver Nuggets. Let’s see how each of the players graded out.

CLIPPERS STARTER GRADES

Reggie Jackson: C+. Reggie played about how we’ve come to expect Reggie to play after he’s seemingly fallen back down to earth. He made some catch-and-shoot three’s — cool. He also put together a solid start to the third quarter to help the Clippers take their final lead, but he just doesn’t impact the game in many other ways — although he did manage three steals. 15 points on 5/12 shooting and 3/7 from three are fine for Reggie, but he only had one assist in 30 minutes. I can’t help but miss Pat Bev more and more each passing game.

Paul George: D. This game was reminiscent of one of the bad playoff games from the bubble, and it’s no coincident that Denver was the reason for some of those. Outside of a few early jumpers during the first quarter, PG looked very flustered throughout the game. He got roughed up in the paint (though he wasn’t elevating much) and was impacted by the physicality and the peskiness of the Nuggets defenders — so much so that he gave a frustration-induced flagrant foul on Facundo Campazzo during the third quarter. That flagrant surrendered the Clippers’ one-point lead and they would never recover it. George shot 5-21 from the field and missed four free throws. The only thing positive to take away from the outing was that he made 3/8 from three, but that’ll be drowned out in the grand scheme of things. The Clips probably won’t see Denver again this year, but if they do, PG will have some demons to exorcise. 

Kawhi Leonard: B-. All signs early on pointed towards Kawhi having a dominant performance, but that never materialized. Clearly unwilling to overexert himself in his first game back from injury, Kawhi coasted throughout the game until later in the fourth quarter. He settled from a lot of jumpers — which he made — but didn’t make much of an effort to get downhill. When he did put his head down he found shooters along the perimeter or muscled his way to some tough finishes. But those were too infrequent, especially as his “213” counterpart struggled greatly. We’ll probably see Kawhi ramp it up a few notches as he gets more minutes under his belt, and it’ll be needed. I thought both his health and game looked fine though. 

Marcus Morris Sr.: D. A performance like this one can only be compared to those early season Luke Kennard games; the ones where he was out there for long periods of time but you kinda didn’t notice. Morris Sr.’s fallback to being a complementary piece was quite drastic as he played 29 minutes and made just 2 of 6 shots upon Kawhi’s return to the lineup. This off-beat showing also featured some frustrating fouls (and-1’s and fouled jump shooters) while being the least-important Clipper outside of Patrick Patterson. He did have three assists which were third-best on the team but didn’t offer much else. And when you see Paul Milsap and J-Myke produce on the other end it just makes it feel a little bit worse. 

Ivica Zubac: C. Clippers Twitter had a slightly different view of Zu’s performance than I did for this particular game. To his credit, I thought he defended Jokic as well as you can in single coverage, but also was Joker’s primary defender as he caught some fire in the third quarter and helped create some separation for Denver. He certainly could’ve re-entered in the fourth for defensive purposes, but I was fine with the team riding with Boogie, who had provided both a spark and some much-needed offensive production. That being said, there was nothing about this game that makes me think that there is an option at center that is better for this team than Zu. Him only playing 24 minutes is bad process.

CLIPPERS BENCH PLAYER GRADES

Rajon Rondo: A-. Outside of a couple of three-point attempts that felt like settled shots, there isn’t much to dislike about Rondo’s 18/5/5 line. He was easily the Clippers’ best player all night long and he might have displayed the most energy of any Clipper. What shouldn’t be surprising after nearly a month of Rondo is how explosive he’s been in getting downhill. We figured he’d be good in transition — which he was, but he really gave Denver fits in the half-court setting by bursting to the rim and finishing layup after layup. I’m excited about Pat Bev’s eventual return because it honestly feels like Rondo is having to shoulder too much of the load far too often, which could wear on his body — something we don’t need as the playoffs are around the corner.

DeMarcus Cousins. B+: I can’t give DeMarcus an A-grade because his defense was unspectacular, but I’d be hard-pressed not to acknowledge all the good out on the floor. Boogie probably was on pace to catch a DNP-CD, but Patrick Patterson’s disastrous second-quarter stretch left Ty Lue no choice in the second half. After the game seemed to have gotten out of hand for the uninspired Clippers, Boogie’s effort and energy became contagious as the Clips chipped away before a late Campazzo three all but ended the rally. He has his weaknesses, which are magnified the longer his stints are, but I really appreciate a guy battling his tail off every moment of every game.

Nicolas Batum: D+. Nicardio was in full effect on Saturday night as Nic blended into the background like many of his teammates did. It’s rare that Nic doesn’t have any impact on a game, but the Nuggets’ style of play kept the game slowly-paced and attacked mismatches via post-ups. He played some fine on-ball defense when he had his chances, but it ultimately didn’t provide much of a difference. Nic couldn’t find any rhythm on offense either and was a casualty of the Clipper’s poor ball movement after the first quarter. Let’s hope there aren’t too many more nights like these.

Patrick Patterson: F. The Clippers came completely undone in the seven minutes that PatPat took the floor as his minus-11 probably won Denver the game. From the moment he checked in he was targeted and attacked relentlessly on the defensive end by a variety of Nuggets players. And to make matters worse, each bucket he surrendered he gave away on the offensive end as he missed some open threes to stop the bleeding. At that point, he became unplayable and found himself a seat on the bench for the rest of the night.

Terance Mann: C. Like Nic, the pace of the game really limited Terance’s on-court production — he couldn’t get out in transition, and he couldn’t find his spots on offense due to the lack of flow. There weren’t many opportunities to get himself going on defense, and he was limited to some spot-up threes on offense — which he made. Overall, he did what he could and I don’t think he caused any damage, but he just didn’t provide much.

NO GRADES

Luke Kennard played just five fourth-quarter minutes and did nothing of note, while Daniel Oturu and Yogi Ferrell received healthy DNP-CD’s. Amir Coffey was out due to the NBA’s healthy and safety protocols, and both Patrick Beverley and Serge Ibaka remained out with injuries.

Clippers vs. Nuggets Player Grades
Cole Huff