Lucas, Rob, and Shap wrap up their All Star Player Grades after a fun Part 1 with Part 2 including Ty Lue. Players included: Serge, Zu, Justise, Hart, Nico, RoCo, Mook, Moses Wright, Wenyen Gabriel, Semi Ojeleye.

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All Star Break Player Grades, Part 2
Shapan Debnath

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the LA Clippers are trading Serge Ibaka to the Milwaukee Bucks for Semi Ojeleye and Rodney Hood. The exchange is part of a larger, four-team framework that also sees the Bucks send Donte DiVincenzo head to Sacramento. Here’s Woj’s full description of the trade:

For the Clippers, this deal is pretty much a straight-up salary dump of Ibaka’s $9.7M deal, which serves a few purposes. First, because the Clippers didn’t need to bring back any additional salary in this move (the minimum salaries of Hood and Ojeleye don’t count as incoming trade salary), they were able to create a $9.7M TPE that they can use either today, next off-season, or at next year’s trade deadline. Second, Ibaka’s logical fit in Milwaukee as a fill-in for Brook Lopez, who is out indefinitely following back surgery, meant that LAC didn’t have to give up a 2nd round pick to move Ibaka’s deal. Third, the Clippers can now easily cut Hood and Ojeleye–which I expect them to do–and create a second open roster spot, allowing them to both pursue a backup point guard on the buyout market and convert Amir Coffey’s two-way contract to a full-time NBA deal. Lastly, this trade will save Steve Ballmer a substantial amount of money in luxury tax penalties–not something I really care about and not something that the Clippers have prioritized doing, but a relevant fact nonetheless. Still, this trade makes clear sense for LAC even without considering Ballmer’s wallet.

As I noted above, Hood and Ojeleye appear to be likely candidates to be cut upon their arrival to the Clippers, as they have each been quite bad in Milwaukee this season and LAC has higher priorites for those roster spots. However, anything is possible as the deadline approaches and the Clippers continue to weigh other deals that could open up spots and playing time for Hood or Ojeleye. If it does turn out that other moves change circumstances higher up the roster, we’ll take a deeper look at what those guys could bring to the team over the weekend.

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.

Clippers Trade Serge Ibaka to Milwaukee Bucks
Lucas Hann

According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Clippers center Serge Ibaka will exercise his player option for $9.7M for the 2021-22 NBA season and return to the team.

After signing on for the mid-level exception last season, Ibaka started the season strong before being slowed and ultimately sidelined by a nerve issue in his back that would wind up costing him most of the season; despite an attempted return for the playoffs, he ultimately had to have back surgery and miss essentially all of the postseason.

Ibaka started the first 39 games of the season for the Clippers but took a slight step back from his previous year’s production in Toronto, most notably from deep where he hit just 33.9% of his attempts after making 38.5% in the year prior. That gap is a huge difference for Ibaka, because the higher number is enough to force defenders out with a hand up, creating more space for guards in isolation and the pick-and-pop while also allowing Serge to utilize the pump fake and drive against closeouts. At 33.9%, he’s capable of making them but isn’t a lethal enough threat to bend the defense as a floor-spacer.

But the most important thing for Serge is his health. Even if he’s not going to hit threes at a high enough clip to be a standout contributor, his smarts on both ends of the floor and well-rounded offensive game mean he’s more than capable of being a solid rotation guy at 20+ minutes per game. For the Clippers, him picking up his player option is a good thing–with no real tools to sign above-minimum free agents except for the taxpayer mid-level exception and the need to both re-sign Nic Batum and find a fill-in for Kawhi Leonard, the team would have had no real means to replace Serge with a similar quality player.

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.

Serge Ibaka picks up player option for 2021-22
Lucas Hann

LA Clippers center Serge Ibaka will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing back surgery Thursday, the team announced. Ibaka missed 30 games with lower back tightness that began in mid-March before making his return to the lineup for the Clippers’ final two games of the season–but after just 2 games and 18 total minutes in the team’s first-round playoff series against the Dallas Mavericks, Ibaka exited the lineup again as his back pain was too severe to play through.

A much-anticipated off-season asquisition, Ibaka won the 2019 NBA Championship with Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard in Toronto and played 41 games for LA this season, averaging 11.1 points and 6.7 rebounds in 23 minutes per game. While his production marked a notable decline from the year prior–particularly his three-point shooting, which dipped from 39% with Toronto in 2019-20 to 34% with the Clippers this year–Ibaka’s offensive versatility as a 7-footer and composure on both ends of the court in big games would have provided the team with a major boost in their current series against the Utah Jazz and Defensive Player of the Year award winner Rudy Gobert.

Ibaka has a player option for $9,742,000 to return to the Clippers next season. After a dip in production, significant time missed due to injury, and now back surgery, it seems increasingly likely that he will choose to take that guaranteed money to return to the team next year. At 31 years old (turning 32 in September), he will be able to secure another healthy NBA contract if he returns to health and good form next season. However, Ibaka’s future with the team is likely more closely tied to Leonard than money–if his superstar buddy, who was one of the main draws of LAC, chooses to depart the team as a free agent this off-season, Ibaka might look to take a paycut elsewhere in order to look for a rotation spot on a contender.

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.

Serge Ibaka out for season after back surgery
Lucas Hann

In recent weeks, the drop coverage has been a focal point of Clippers discourse, so I figured I’d take a crack at explaining it. Should they use it? Why are they using it? Will they stop using it? I’ve stated my stance via Twitter. But after learning more about it, I understand its value and why it’s so often used.

For those who don’t know, the drop coverage is a defensive scheme that is essentially designed to keep the ball-handler’s scoring options limited to either a low-efficiency mid-range jumper or a contested shot at the rim. As the defender who is guarding the screener drops below the point of the screen to play safety in the paint, the other defender, who is guarding the ball, fights over the top of the screen and forces the ball-handler into no man’s land.

A key component of being able to run this defense effectively is knowing that the opponent’s big man isn’t going to space the floor and shoot jumpers. If that screener can shoot from the perimeter, it breaks the coverage as he’ll pop for open jumpers or swing the ball to another open shooter as the defense scrambles. For the better part of the last two weeks, the Clippers’ opponents haven’t featured that pick-and-pop big that’ll expose the coverage. Instead, they’ve dealt with guys like Andre Drummond, DeAndre Jordan, Mitchell Robinson, and Bam Adebayo, who specialize in rolling to the rim and finishing over the top of the outstretched arms of shot-blockers.

This is where Serge Ibaka’s and Ivica Zubac’s domination of the team’s 48 center minutes play a role in this scheme. Having one of those two on the court means the Clippers have two 7-foot big men who are incapable of effectively switching, double-teaming, or hard showing at the level of the screen due to their lack of foot-speed. To avoid those issues, the Clippers are opting to play more drop on pick-and-roll coverages, having Zu and Ibaka patrol the paint and be the high-level rim protectors they have established themselves to be. 

The Clippers are currently giving up the highest opponent field goal percentage in the mid-range area at 47.1% this season. This passes the eye test as we’ve seen several guards score often against the Clippers’ pick-and-roll defense. In the Knicks game at the end of January, Immanuel Quickley went 7-8 in the mid-range area against the Clippers, putting the guard defenders on his hip while operating inside of the free-throw line to put up floaters. Kyrie Irving attacked the pick-and-roll for some easy pull-up jumpers and a few of his signature crafty finishes. But surrendering a high number of in-between shots is a better process than seeing their opponent have that similar volume from the three-point line. While it can be hard to watch, you have to understand its potential.

Yet, it was still incredibly frustrating to watch Collin Sexton and Darius Garland take turns abusing the drop coverage for floaters and free-throw line jumpers. But as the game wore on and the Clippers’ offense figured out how to score more effectively, the game broke wide open behind a barrage of Paul George’s three-pointers. The floaters that once felt like power-punches had begun to feel more like soft jabs. The coverage proved effective as the Cavs neglected the three-pointer completely, only attempting ten three-pointers in total and finishing the game with just 99 points. So, yes, the Clippers got bullied in the midrange, but they won the game by 21 points by making 16 more threes than Cleveland did. And when everything averaged out over the course of a full game, Sexton was just 5-14 from mid-range. It’s becoming increasingly harder to win NBA games with the bulk of your offensive production coming from inside the arc. 

Defending Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum in a drop coverage was a much different experience than Cleveland’s guard combo. While “Sexland” didn’t generate any three-point attempts out of the pick-and-roll, Tatum converted on three of his four attempts. Four attempts isn’t an insane number due to Tatum’s ability to use his size to finish at the rim or make other decisions, but the shot is there for the taking. There is, however, a risk you take in using this defense down the stretch of games when stops are important. It was Kemba Walker’s go-ahead mid-range jumper off of the pick-and-roll that put the nail in the Clippers’ coffin. 

Drop coverage isn’t going to be used against the elite, high-volume three-point shooters like Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard. The Clippers have already shown that won’t be the case this season. As for the others, Ty Lue seems willing to bet on the drop, concede two-point shots, and make opponents have to beat them with their decision-making all while trusting that the Clippers’ high-powered offense will continue to efficiently outexecute their opponents.

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.

Explaining the Clippers Drop Coverage
Cole Huff

Dr. Shap, Robert Flom, and Lucas Hann break down the Clippers’ tight loss as they slip to the Atlanta Hawks and discuss expectations as the team navigates this six-game road trip without three of their starters. Then, the trio give their takes on early trade rumors involving the team.

Check out the podcast here! Be sure to rate and review us five stars on whatever platform you listen to us on, and give us feedback in the comments below!

Podcast: Clippers Slip to Hawks
Shapan Debnath

The Clippers face the Sacramento Kings five nights after a 38-point pasting and with a five-game winning streak on the line. Read on for a full Clippers vs Kings game preview.

Game Information

Where: Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA

When: 7:00 PM PT

How to Watch: Fox Sports Prime Ticket

Projected Starting Lineups

Kings: De’Aaron Fox — Buddy Hield — Harrison Barnes — Marvin Bagley — Richaun Holmes

Clippers: Patrick Beverley — Paul George — Kawhi Leonard — Nicolas Batum — Serge Ibaka

Injuries

Kings: TBD — Hassan Whiteside (hip); OUT — Jahm’ius Ramsey (groin); OUT — Daquan Jeffries (ankle)

Clippers: QUESTIONABLE — Lou Williams (hip)

The Big Picture

. . . is about the winning streak, of course. Why, is there something else going on today?

The Clippers are wading through the shallow end of their schedule, with back-to-back home tilts against the Thunder up next, followed by a trip through the Eastern Conference and many of its lesser opponents. In other words, it’s a good time to make money.

Much has been made of the Clippers’ ability to close out games, but they’ve become more coldly efficient in recent weeks, using third-quarter surges to submerse their opponents for good. Some of that might be the easing schedule, but you get your reps in where you can.

You can also experiment, and Head Coach Tyronn Lue has discussed their rarely-used-so-far small lineups. Serge Ibaka is reported to be returning tonight, but if he’s less than 100% and Ivica Zubac maintains hismediocre form, the Kings and their lack of low-post brutes present an opportunity for downsizing. Watch out for those rebounders though.

The Antagonist

. . . needs to pick it up on defense. Like, seriously, stand in front of somebody. No, between them and the basket. Yeah, right there.

If you hadn’t heard, the Kings’ current defensive rating is — checks notes — the worst ever. They approach basketball like you approach Madden: just give me the ball back so I can play offense again. They turn every offense into the second-ranked Clippers’, only better. So what will happen when they face — checks notes again — the Clippers. Fireworks, I hope.

Notes

• A Rare Luxury: Both teams enter tonight’s matchup well rested. (Well, they’ve had the opportunity to rest.) Neither team has played since Sunday, giving them two full days off between games. In a blurring gauntlet of a season, it should be a welcome respite, one the Clippers won’t experience again for three weeks. Games have seen some understandably listless starts. Let’s see if this one crackles from the off.
• Fox Score: Now a man with a freshly minted max-level contract, De’Aaron Fox must find another level to his play. The fourth-year guard has been up-and-down, but Sunday night’s game might’ve been his highest point yet, a 43-point career scoring night in a five-point loss. Notably, it was also his first double-digit assist game of the season. Sacramento’s lack of ideal court spacing handcuffs the downhill guard, but Fox may be turning his long-range game around as compensation — he’s made at least one three-pointer in four straight games. He needs more help, but he’s also learning to help himself.
• Game Thread: That’s about it for this game preview of the Clippers’ facing their division rival in the Kings, but the comments for this post will serve as our live game thread. Create a free account and join the conversation!

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.

Clippers vs Kings Game Preview: Fight for Five
Thomas Wood

Did you have Nicolas Batum performing competently on your 2020-21 bingo card? With the clouds of his previous lucrative contract dissipated, Batum now finds himself outperforming his new minimum deal with the Los Angeles Clippers, as Batum’s offense has been a welcome addition for the franchise.

Just like every other team in the NBA, the Clippers have suffered a myriad of setbacks in reaching their ceiling early in the season: Marcus Morris, fresh off a 4 year, $64 million deal, is dealing with a knee issue and remains sidelined; Kawhi Leonard is playing with a mask following a mouth laceration; Luke Kennard is still adjusting to the game after not playing since early 2020; Reggie Jackson is still Reggie Jackson.

But just like we all expected, Nicolas Batum has emerged as a sound rotational player, averaging 10.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 0.9 steals in 29 minutes per game, filling in as the primary four while Morris heals. More impressive are his shooting splits of 51.6/45.7/93.8, a year removed from an abhorrent 34.6/28.6/90 season.  He’s coming off another strong game against the Phoenix Suns in which he hit 4-7 (57%) from deep, including a dagger three to repel Phoenix’s last push.

Despite the breaches in the rotation, the Clippers have catapulted to a 5-2 record, tied for first in the staunch Western Conference, and Batum’s offense has assisted that start.

Batum’s momentous output through seven games always circles back to his shooting. Last season’s abysmal production from deep in Charlotte rang bells of concern when Los Angeles picked him up. Would his shooting revert to his career average three-point percentage of 35.7? Or was last season a clear indicator the 32-year-old forward was destined for “washed” territory? This blistering start has put those concerns to sleep. Off this baseline out-of-bounds set (BLOB), the Clippers run an elbow stagger for Paul George to curl off of as Batum is situated just outside the initial down screen by Patrick Beverley. Beverley will leak out to the corner, and Batum will split between the screens as Serge Ibaka sets another one for Batum. Jae Crowder is caught ball-watching, allowing for George to stop his drive and find Batum for the open look. Splash.

Here’s another BLOB set later in the game. This time, it’s a wide pindown for Paul George, a play he’s commonly involved in. Mikal Bridges’ defensive prowess cuts off the dribble hand-off, but Devin Booker gets caught in a daze after Ivica Zubac’s down screen, permitting Batum to pop out for a three. Splash. Batum’s three-point resurgence hasn’t sparked just himself, but the entire squad. When Batum is on the floor, the Clippers are hitting their non-corner threes at a difference of +11.2%, ranking in the 92nd percentile, per Cleaning the Glass. That number will likely decrease under more minutes, but as the last two plays indicated, Ty Lue can trust Batum in these spots to convert.

Speaking of trust, how about Batum’s dagger mentioned earlier? Ibaka sets the high screen for George, but Deandre Ayton sticks to Ibaka rather than cutting off George’s lane downhill. That forced Devin Booker to collapse into the paint, freeing up the path to pass to an open Batum. Chris Paul cannot rotate in time. Splash. Batum is essentially a new toy dusted off from the top shelf for initiators like George and Leonard. With the abilities of George and Leonard to drive-and-kick, Batum’s offense, theoretically, is perfect. Per NBA.com tracking data, Batum is shooting 50% on catch-and-shoot triples; three-point attempts comprise 58.5% of Batum’s overall attempts.

Here’s Batum in action with George against Portland. LA runs a stagger screen for George, which flows into a George-Ibaka pick-and-roll set. Jusuf Nurkic shows high to prevent George’s downhill lane as CJ McCollum tagged Ibaka’s roll. That opened a window for George to hit Batum in the corner. Splash. Batum is usually on the court with one of George or Leonard in at all times, and we’ve seen the chemistry developing between George and Batum. Per pbpstats, Batum has played 158 of 202 minutes with George on the court. George’s expertise in setting Batum up has led to Batum possessing an eFG% of 63.2 with George versus a 57.1 clip without.

Moving to assists, Batum’s assists per game have steadily dipped since eclipsing at 5.9 a game in 2016-17 with Charlotte. Last season, he averaged 3.0 APG, not a stark difference to the 2.9 he currently averages. But there’s context to that; Batum didn’t play alongside stars like George and Leonard in Charlotte. Assists per game don’t always tell the complete story, either. Per nba.com tracking data, Batum is averaging 4.4 potential assists per game, fourth-most on the team. The typical ball-handling triumvirate of George, Leonard and Lou Williams spearhead that category.Still, Batum’s a ball-moving forward, a contrast to Morris, who often counters that trait. Per Cleaning the Glass, Batum’s usage rate of 11.3% ranks in the 9th percentile among fellow forwards. However, his assist-to-usage ratio is at a beaming 1:16, good for the 98th percentile. Batum’s excelled in this category dating back to his Portland days, but it’s a positive sign for a Clippers team hoping to secure a balanced attack with a variety of players. Batum’s offense has been superbly effective. The eye test definitely supports his per-100-possession offensive rating of 139 and a defensive rating of 113, a +26 differential, which would be a career-high if it sustains. Not only that, but his points per shot attempt mark of 135.6 ranks in the 91st percentile, a perceptible distinction from being in the 10th percentile a season ago, per Cleaning the Glass. While the Clippers wait for Morris to fully heal, Batum, even when he inevitably comes off the bench, is flying under the radar as one of the offseason’s best transactions by any team this season.

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.

Nicolas Batum’s offense has been a welcome addition
Sanjesh Singh

Today, we’re looking at the season preview for one of the Clippers’ big new additions: veteran center Serge Ibaka, who joined the team as a free agent after winning the 2019 NBA Championship with Kawhi Leonard in Toronto.

Basic Information

Height: 7’0″
Weight: 235 lbs
Position: Center
Age: 31
Years in NBA: 11
Key Stats: In 55 appearances for the Raptors last year, played 27 minutes per game and averaged 15.4 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.8 blocks, and 2.0 steals while shooting 51.2% from the field and 38.5% from deep.

In the playoffs, played 22.8 minutes per game and averaged 14.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.3 blocks while shooting 57.3% from the field and 51.1% from deep.
Contract Status: Signed a two-year deal for the full mid-level exception, with a player option for the second year. His deal pays $9,258,000 this season.

Expectations

Based on his career, and recent contributions on contending teams in Toronto, the Clippers should have high expectations for Serge–he should be one of the team’s top 8 players who consistently produce during the season, and be a mainstay in Ty Lue’s playoff rotation as well. The team clearly foresaw that level of impact, considering the sacrifices they made to sign him. Not only was Ibaka brought in to replace reigning sixth man of the year Montrezl Harrell, but utilizing the full MLE means incurring a hard cap, which cost the Clippers valued backup JaMychal Green and negatively impacted their flexibility to round out the roster.

Ibaka’s counting stats aren’t particularly significant, as long as he maintains his quality. He’ll back up incumbent starter Ivica Zubac, though I expect the two to essentially split the center minutes 50/50. Depending on situation and matchup, each could see favor–Zubac is the superior interior defender while Ibaka brings offensive floor-spacing. The two will also inevitably play together at times this season, though the pairing will only work defensively against certain opposing lineups. As long as Ibaka can take his roughly ~50% of the center minutes and play like he did last season for Toronto, he’ll help the Clippers stay a strong regular season team. Then, in the playoffs, he’s a champion and trusted veteran with 144 career postseason games who will help the team significantly as Zubac’s backup.

Strengths

Contrary to what Ibaka became famous for early in his career in Oklahoma City, present-day Ibaka doesn’t make his biggest contributions with shot blocking and rim-rattling dunks. Instead, he’s become a well-rounded scorer who has good volume and efficiency from all over the floor. Last year, he shot 38.5% from three on 5.8 attempts per 100 possessions (for reference, JaMychal Green shot 38.7% on 8.6) and in total, scored 27.1 points per 100 possessions on 25.1 shot attempts with 2.5 assists and 3.5 turnovers (Montrezl Harrell scored 31.7 on 21.9 attempts with 2.9 assists and 2.9 turnovers).

The Clippers, in essence, managed to replace almost all of Harrell’s high-volume offensive production in the backup center slot (albeit with major stylistic differences, as Trez dives to the rim seeking contact and dunks while Ibaka pops and spaces the floor) and add a stretch big with legitimate center size to rebound and defend on the second unit. While Serge isn’t going to lead the league in blocks like he did earlier in his career, he’s a high-IQ defensive big who has good positioning and rebounds the ball well–he grabbed 23.5% of available defensive rebounds and 16.1% of total available rebounds last year (compared to Harrell, 16.3%/13.2%; Zubac, 26.4%/21.3%; and Green, 24.1%/15.4%).

Weaknesses

While Serge is efficient from all over the floor offensively, he isn’t a particularly creative player. On a Clippers team that sometimes struggles with ball movement and creating good shots for each other, Ibaka won’t bring much passing or playmaking–and as someone whose production is heavily dependent upon others’ playmaking, he could even suffer in the transition away from playing with Kyle Lowry. Last year, 80% of Ibaka’s 273 made 2-pointers were assisted, along with all 70 of his made threes. Fortunately, between Green, Marcus Morris, and Patrick Patterson, the Clippers are comfortable playing with pick-and-pop bigs and should be able to get Ibaka some looks, but he might not be as prolific on a team that isn’t as good at finding him.

Defensively, while Serge is a big step up from the likes of Harrell, he still has some limitations. His rebounding is good, but not as great as Zubac’s, and as an interior defender and rim protector his high IQ leaves him trustworthy but his declining mobility leaves him probably closer to solid than actually being strong on that end. Again, Zubac has the Clippers covered with an elite interior defender, while Ibaka might be useful as a situational alternative who is slightly more mobile to defend ball screens while adding more offensive firepower. But the word slightly is important there–the Raptors found in recent seasons that Ibaka and Marc Gasol could essentially only play together when opposing teams were using two similarly big players. They only saw 89 minutes of floor time together last season, though the Raptors excelled with a +24.7 net rating in those minutes. Zubac has more mobility than Gasol has left, but isn’t the passer or shooter that Marc is offensively, so it’s hard to say if there will really be more utility to the two-big look for LAC.

Summary

Ibaka isn’t a perfect player, and his athleticism has declined drastically over the years. But he is a legitimate replacement as a backup scoring center who will be a valuable floor-spacing alternative to Zubac in the postseason–all while being a stable non-liability on defense and the glass. I don’t think Serge is going to emerge as any type of third star for the Clippers, but he’s a safer bet to a high-impact member of their top-8 rotation, and should be a big part of their 2021 redemption arc.

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.

Clippers 2020-2021 Season Preview: Serge Ibaka
Lucas Hann

According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, the Clippers will sign veteran center Serge Ibaka.

While the terms of the deal have not been leaked yet, I’d assume that this is for the Clippers’ full mid-level exception of $9,258,000. That contract is allowed to run for up to four years, but Ibaka preferred the flexibility of a shorter deal, signing for two years.

The time for analyzing Ibaka’s full impact on the Clippers will come once the dust has settled, but suffice to say this is a huge addition for the team, particularly in light of the departures of Montrezl Harrell and JaMychal Green yesterday. At this point in his career, Ibaka almost exclusively plays center and doesn’t have the same elite mobility and athleticism that made him one of the league’s best shot-blockers earlier in his career, but he’s developed a well-rounded offensive game that saw him score in similar volume and efficiency to Montrezl Harrell last year.

Combining that offensive punch with Ibaka’s championship experience, defensive smarts (while he’s not as athletic as he used to be, his IQ and positioning remain), and locker room leadership represents a huge upgrade for the Clippers–turning a potential disastrous loss of front court depth into a net gain for the team this off-season. I wrote a few weeks ago that Ibaka would be a dream fit for the Clippers because of his experience, leadership, firepower, and floor-spacing at the center position.

With Ibaka now in the fold, the Clippers have 12 players under contract and $5.2M in wiggle room under the hard cap–and using the non-taxpayer MLE on Ibaka officially causes the team to be hard capped this season. Since they’re required to carry at least 14 players, the Clippers are essentially now faced with the option of either utilizing the bi-annual exception ($3.6M) on a 13th player and then signing a veteran’s minimum contract ($1.6M) on a 14th, or signing three veteran’s minimum players to fill the final three roster spots.

Here’s the current depth chart:

With no backup small forward to play minutes behind the load-managing Leonard, and Patrick Patterson as the team’s weakest second-unit player, they’d be smart to pursue defensive-minded forwards that can fill that void while covering for the deficiencies of Williams and Kennard on the second unit. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Solomon Hill, and Torrey Craig would all be good options.

Then, the Clippers will add either one or two additional minimum players (depending on whether they obtain a defensive forward using the BAE or minimum), likely providing supporting depth on the wing or as an emergency point guard.

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.

Clippers Sign Serge Ibaka
Lucas Hann