{"id":120088,"date":"2025-01-26T07:31:19","date_gmt":"2025-01-26T12:31:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=120088"},"modified":"2025-01-26T07:31:19","modified_gmt":"2025-01-26T12:31:19","slug":"clippers-jeff-van-gundy-propelling-unlikely-bid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/01\/26\/clippers-jeff-van-gundy-propelling-unlikely-bid\/","title":{"rendered":"Clippers Quiet Offseason Addition Propelling Unlikely Bid"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Los Angeles Clippers<\/a> are defying expectations this season. Despite losing<\/a> Paul George<\/a> in free agency and Kawhi Leonard<\/a> battling injuries, the Clippers sit sixth<\/a> in the Western Conference. Few predicted this outcome, especially after their middling defense last season, ranking 16th<\/a> in defensive rating. However, the Clippers have embraced a new identity built on stingy defense. Currently, they rank second in defensive rating at 107.2<\/a>, showcasing a complete turnaround. Surprisingly, their best defender, based on reputation, has only played seven games this season. The Clippers defensive success stems from critical offseason moves, most notably the addition of Jeff Van Gundy as lead assistant coach.<\/p>\n

Clippers’ Jeff Van Gundy Propelling Unlikely Postseason Bid<\/h2>\n

Jeff Van Gundy’s Impact on the Clippers<\/h3>\n

Van Gundy has transformed the Clippers\u2019 defensive schemes and culture. Head coach Tyronn Lue praised his influence early on, saying<\/a>, “JVG, Jeff Van Gundy… He\u2019ll be the guy, make sure we set the tone, make sure we\u2019re talking defensively.\u201d Known as a defensive mastermind, Van Gundy has implemented strategies that emphasize aggressiveness, communication, and attention to detail.<\/p>\n

Before the season began, Van Gundy watched<\/a> all 88 Clippers games from last season, including playoffs. He identified gaps in their defensive approach and tailored adjustments to address them. Last season\u2019s defense emphasized taking away the middle of the floor. This year, the Clippers send help to the middle, allowing Ivica Zubac<\/a> to protect the rim more effectively.<\/p>\n

Van Gundy\u2019s history<\/a> of success speaks volumes. As an assistant and head coach, his defenses have consistently ranked in the league\u2019s top half. In New York and Houston, his teams allowed the fewest points in the paint eight times. This season, the Clippers have jumped from 14th<\/a> to sixth<\/a> in opponents’ points in the paint, showing Van Gundy\u2019s influence.<\/p>\n

Veteran Additions Bolster Defense<\/h3>\n

The Clippers\u2019 offseason signings have complemented Van Gundy\u2019s defensive philosophy. Adding Kris Dunn<\/a> via a sign-and-trade<\/a> and signing Derrick Jones Jr.<\/a> in free agency brought<\/a> much-needed length and athleticism to the roster. Both players contribute to the team\u2019s aggressive, physical defense.<\/p>\n

These additions helped the Clippers improve in defensive rebounding and second-chance opportunities. Last year, they ranked 24th<\/a> in defensive rebounding percentage. This season, they rank second<\/a>, trailing only the Milwaukee Bucks.<\/a> Consequently, they allow the second-fewest<\/a> second-chance points in the league.<\/p>\n

Limiting Opponent 3-Point Success<\/h3>\n

The Clippers have also made significant strides in defending the three-point line. Last season, they ranked 14th<\/a> in corner threes allowed. This year, they rank eighth<\/a> in opponents\u2019 corner threes (8.8)<\/a> and ninth in opponents\u2019 corner three-point percentage (37.3%)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lue explained<\/a> the approach: \u201cThe game is so different, teams are taking so many of them; you really can\u2019t stop teams from taking 3s. But… we don\u2019t want to give up corner 3s. Above-the-break 3s, we want to get out, challenge and contest. But in the corners, we\u2019ve got to make sure we\u2019re running guys off.\u201d<\/p>\n

Forcing Turnovers Through Aggression<\/h3>\n

Van Gundy has emphasized creating turnovers to fuel fast breaks. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to be aggressive,\u201d Lue said<\/a>. \u201cJVG is doing a great job of implementing a system that we want to run defensively, and we\u2019ve got to create more turnovers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Clippers rank eighth<\/a> in deflections and recover 57.8<\/a>% of loose balls, good for fourth in the NBA. Their commitment to hustle and intensity has helped them remain disruptive throughout games.<\/p>\n

A Blueprint for Playoff Success<\/h3>\n

The Clippers\u2019 defensive transformation has not gone unnoticed. In a recent game against the Celtics, they forced Jayson Tatum<\/a> and Jaylen Brown<\/a> into 10<\/a> turnovers. Against the Lakers, Austin Reaves<\/a>, LeBron James<\/a> and Anthony Davis<\/a> struggled, committing 13<\/a> turnovers.<\/p>\n

Van Gundy\u2019s schemes consistently disrupt elite opponents, making the Clippers a formidable defensive force. His leadership has helped the team achieve their pre-season goal<\/a> of becoming a top-five defense, a marked improvement from last season.<\/p>\n

As the Clippers approach the postseason, their defense gives them a legitimate chance for a deep playoff run. As coaching great Bear Bryant once said, “Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships.” The Clippers probably won’t win a championship this season but they seem poised to prove this timeless adage true.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Los Angeles Clippers are defying expectations this season. Despite losing Paul George in free agency and Kawhi Leonard battling injuries, the Clippers sit sixth in the Western Conference. Few predicted this outcome, especially after their middling defense last season, ranking 16th in defensive rating. However, the Clippers have embraced a new identity built on […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5018,"featured_media":120096,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,27],"tags":[49059,49979,240,4556,2951,749,652,450,798,922,168,458,38,596,50,612],"class_list":["post-120088","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-clippers","tag-2024-nba-free-agents","tag-2024-25-nba-season","tag-anthony-davis","tag-austin-reaves","tag-defense","tag-derrick-jones-jr","tag-ivica-zubac","tag-jaylen-brown","tag-jayson-tatum","tag-jeff-van-gundy","tag-kawhi-leonard","tag-kris-dunn","tag-lebron-james","tag-nba-playoffs","tag-paul-george","tag-tyronn-lue"],"modified_by":"Frederick Okocha","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120088","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120088"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120088\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":120098,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120088\/revisions\/120098"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/120096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120088"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120088"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120088"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}