INGLEWOOD — If this week has shown anything, it has proven that the Clippers are more than Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Norman Powell. Their talent extends beyond the stars’ side-by-side-by-side lockers, skills found at the far end of the bench.
Without six of the core rotation players, the reserves stepped up and pushed the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics into overtime in a scrappy hard-fought mid-week loss. Their performance was testament to the work of the front office.
Given Leonard’s medical history and Harden’s age (35), the front office built this year’s team with a “next man up” mentality, signing talented role players who can step up without dropping the competitive level.
“We have four starters out and to be able to come out with the team that we had just shows how deep we are,” Coach Tyronn Lue said. “It just shows you that guys deserve opportunities to play, but you can’t play 15 players. And so, it’s hard.
“But it definitely shows the job that (President of Basketball Operations) Lawrence Frank and (General Manager) Red (Trent Redden) and (Assistant GM) Mark Hughes putting a team together that’s deep, that can step up and play when guys are out and we were able to see that tonight.”
Lue said the success the reserves showed in the Boston game and over the season is rooted in their ability to buy into stay-ready games. The group of Amir Coffey, Keven Porter Jr., Terance Mann and Bones Hyland, along with starter Derrick Jones Jr. played with a purpose.
“It’s a fun mentality because you are able to go out there and compete,” said Mann, who has started 12 games but saw his role diminish earlier this season. “If you’re a real competitor, then you’re going to be excited for these games. If you’re not a real competitor, then it kind of shows and it shows out there. So, I think you see who the real competitors are when you’re out there and make the best of it.”
Mann, who is averaging 6.6 points and 3.0 rebounds off the bench, contributed 11 points in his latest start in the 117-113 overtime loss to the Celtics. Coffey scored 24 points and Porter had 26 against Boston.
Jones, a free agent who signed with the Clippers (25-19) last summer, said he inherited the next-man up mentality when he came into the NBA. Now, he tries to instill that philosophy into the next generation.
“I always tell ’em to be aggressive, be who you are. You are on the team for a reason, you in the NBA for a reason, so just go out there and be who you are,” Jones said. “Don’t shy away from no pressure, don’t shy away from no opportunity. Just go out there and take it in full force.”
Second-year player Kobe Brown, whose minutes predominantly come in garbage time, came off the bench and grabbed 11 rebounds against Boston. He has adopted Jones’ advice.
“Everyone assumed that we were just going to lose that game,” Brown said. “So, we took that personally and just tried to make the most out of what we had, of who was playing or not. We didn’t think we weren’t out there just to prove the world wrong.”
That attitude, a second-rated defense and chemistry is what keeps the team going when one – or more – of their stars sit.
“You’ve seen it,” Lue said. “I’m very confident in the group that we got, no matter who steps out on the floor, we got the chemistry that we have, and I mean the belief that we have in each other is through the roof. So, nothing surprised me.”
MILWAUKEE AT CLIPPERS
When: Saturday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Intuit Dome
TV/radio: FDSNSC/570 AM