#2 The LA Clippers' ability to play five-out offense
Size does not exactly favor the LA Clippers, with 7' 0" Ivan Zubac being their tallest player. But he did not get a lot of starts, especially in the playoffs. Nicolas Batum, a traditional small forward, was their starting center in most of their playoffs fixtures.
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The use of a smaller center has its shortcomings in defense, but it spreads the court in offense and gives the explosive guards enough room to attack the rim. Generally called the five-out offense, every player is camped on the perimeter to knock down threes or make cuts to the basket.
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That tactic was especially effective against the Utah Jazz in the conference semi-finals. The 2021 Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert, was forced out of his natural position, and was not so much of a great defender in those situations. Gobert excels as a rim protector, but seemed uncomfortable when forced out to defend close to the perimeter.
Some NBA teams have built their teams around big men who are slow to move their feet. Playing the five-out technique against them could be beneficial, especially if every player is a decent shooter from the deep. There is a likelihood that the big men might be slow to close out or not be fast enough to read cuts to the basket. So the LA Clippers could capitalize on that.
#3 Three-point shooting
Going by numbers, the LA Clippers were the best three-point shooting team in the 2020-21 NBA season. They finished first in three-point shooting, and collectively shot 41.1% from beyond the arc.
Almost eight LA Clippers shot over 40% from the three-point range last season. Leonard came close to hitting the 40% mark, averaging 39.8% in 4.9 attempts.
Paul George had the most attempts for the LA Clippers, averaging 7.7 three-point attempts, and shooting an effective 41.1%. Terence Mann, Batum, Reggie Jackson, Luke Kennard and Marcus Morris are the other players on that list.
Morris was tremendous in the 2021 playoffs, providing incredible floor spacing for the LA Clippers when alternating as a center. Although his three-point shooting percentage dropped, he was still a crucial player for the Clippers.
The Clippers still have seven of the eight 40% shooters on their roster, which could be key in the new season. Meanwhile, Mann could get more minutes following his impressive playoff outings.
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