Clippers Show Signs of Life
Los Angeles -- As the 2022-23 CSL season winds down, the Los Angeles Clippers find themselves near the bottom of the standings once again. After a flurry of trades and an almost entirely new roster, there have been some expected growing pains since the trade deadline. However, after a four game winning streak and winning five out of six games overall, the young Clippers are showing signs of life.
Coach Lionel Hollins has been tinkering with different lineups late in the season, experimenting ways to play around talented scorer Mario Hezonja. Putting different mixes of big men, shooters and defenders around him, Hollins and GM Dylan are committed to fitting the best possible roster around their young star.
Recently, it's worked. In their 12 games in the month of March, Hezonja has been terrific. Averaging 22.5 points per contest on 44% shooting, and getting to the free throw line an average of 9 times per game, shooting 83%. He's also made an effort to distribute as well, averaging nearly 5 assists. Turnovers and occasional chucking still seem to be obstacles to overcome, but this type of play from the 23-year-old is encouraging as the Clippers move forward.
Throughout the rest of the roster, everyone has been moving around and playing all over the place. We'll do some quick hitters on some of the other Clippers main pieces:
- Enes Kanter has solid offensively and on the boards since the trade, but was getting torched by opposing centers.
- Gary Harris has raised his 3 point shooting percentage up to 37.5%, after shooting it just 28% when he was with the Spurs.
- Ty Lawson has been a steady force at point guard, but has been prone to getting a bit too trigger happy.
- The Clippers like what they've seen from Harry Giles recently, even inserting him into the starting lineup. The numbers don't jump out at you, but he's been very solid and reliable in his minutes.
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