The Los Angeles Clippers are headed to the Western Conference Finals where they’ll meet the Phoenix Suns. LA was down big in Game 6 on Friday night but won after making Rudy Gobert, the Defensive Player of the Year, a liability on the defensive end.
The Golden State Warriors can learn from what the Clippers did to the top-seeded Jazz.
After the Clippers spread the Jazz out and dissected them, the Golden State Warriors should learn that having an elite rim-protector isn’t necessary
Gobert is an elite rim proctector. Despite not leading the league in blocks, the DPOY was dominant this past season. He was an absolute force in the middle of the paint, preventing passes over the top and contesting anyone that came within his presence.
Against the Clippers who were without star small forward Kawhi Leonard, he was useless defensively. The Clippers spaced the Jazz out and made shots. Terrance Mann had the best game of his career, scoring 39 points and drilling 7 threes.
Luke Kennard, Marcus Morris, Reggie Jackson, and others all contributed to the Clippers dominance over Utah. On top of their shooting, the Clippers at times went into a zone defensively, attempting to limit Gobert’s ability to destroy them on the offensive glass.
Gobert ended a -24. It’s not a clear picture of his impact, but it does prove the point. He was a -45 over the last four games of the series. Gobert had 12 points and 10 rebounds in the series-ending Game 6.
As for the Warriors, they should learn that Draymond Green and a plethora of shooters are enough to get the job done. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are obviously elite threats. Can Mychel Mulder, Damion Lee, or Jordan Poole consistently hit 35-40 percent of their attempts from deep?
If they can be, then the Warriors have all they need. Spacing the court is pivotal, and while Turner has proven that he can shoot well from deep, he isn’t at the same level as a guard like Mulder. If a team can space out the DPOY, then they can do the same to Turner.
The 6-foot-11 Turner shot 33.5 percent from deep this past season which, for a center, isn’t bad.
At the same time, the Jazz couldn’t guard Los Angeles and prevent them from forcing Gobert to rotate over, so that’s a problem of its own that has to be addressed by the Jazz as the Clippers were allowed just a lethal amount of open three-point looks.
The Warriors don’t appear to be in talks for Turner, but if they are, they need to ensure they can utilize his defensive prowess and not be exploited like Utah was.