The Los Angeles Clippers might be the first spot on the Ben Simmons reclamation project. The 28-year-old guard/forward has been bought out of his max contract by the Brooklyn Nets and signed a minimum contract with the Clippers. Simmons’ skill set for a minimum is great value, as he finally has an opportunity to start hooping without the expectations of his massive contract weighing him down.
The Clippers will likely use Simmons as a backup, either behind James Harden at the point or behind Kawhi Leonard at the four. Simmons could also run backup center behind Ivica Zubac if required, that’s how versatile his skill set is. The issues of durability and offense are real with him, but the Clippers have a roster that can maximize his strengths.
We wanted to take a look at how the Clippers could look if they experimented with their starting five and included Simmons in it, allowing Kawhi to move back to the three. Let’s take a look at what these five and the roster behind them could look like.
Starting Lineup
James Harden, Norman Powell, Kawhi Leonard, Ben Simmons, Ivica Zubac
The Clippers could run a big defensive lineup if they can find a way to incorporate Ben Simmons into their starting five. Simmons’ health likely will restrict the number of minutes he can realistically play, but the Clippers can start games like this to maximize their defensive output at the start of games by using this lineup. It could also be a viable clutch-time lineup, especially if the Clippers are looking to defend a lead.
Simmons is averaging 6.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 6.9 assists this season. He’s proven his court vision is still elite while his defensive skills are just as devastating as they once were. It seems we’re past the point of expecting him to turn up offensively, but there are a lot of points on offer for him exclusively on back-cuts and post-finishes. He won’t average double-digit points here but he won’t need to either.
The only flaw this lineup has is its lack of shooting, especially with James Harden shooting 34.2% from three this season. However, it is versatile enough to be among the best defensive lineups with Simmons as the POA defender and very strong help defenders like Zubac and Kawhi around them.Â
An all-defense lineup could even see Derrick Jones Jr. start ahead of Norman Powell, but it leaves them too offensively shorthanded for it to be viable. Nonetheless, this five-man unit would be a dangerous one with two floor scanners in Harden and Simmons. The Clippers this season haven’t been able to create easy opportunities for Harden the way he has created for everyone else.Â
Lineups with Simmons could allow Harden to get easy buckets of his own instead of always focusing on setting others up. It’ll likely lead to a sizable increase in efficiency, as Harden won’t have to rely on tough shotmaking to get his points and can get easy corner opportunities or more open looks playing off the downhill gravity of Simmons.
Bench
Bogdan Bogdanovic, Derrick Jones Jr., Kris Dunn, Drew Eubanks, Nicolas Batum, Amir Coffey, MarJon Beauchamp. Kobe Brown, Patty Mills, Cam Christie, Kai Jones (Two-Way), Jordan Miller (Two-Way), Trentyn Flowers (Two-Way)
The Clippers bench will continue being one of the most defensively capable benches in the NBA. Alongside Kawhi and Simmons in the starting five, they have lockdown defenders in their position like Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr. Even new acquisition MarJon Beauchamp is a defensive ace, but will likely struggle to get minutes due to his poorly developed offensive skills.
Bogdan Bogdanovic fills a crucial role in the team’s lineup and can serve as their primary sixth man and bench scorer. Drew Eubanks is another new acquisition that finally gives the team a competent backup center. Batum is a 3-and-D forward, although his age means he can’t fill out heavy minutes like he could a few seasons ago. Nonetheless, his minutes are valuable to the team.
Amir Coffey is a more productive but smaller version of Batum on the Clippers’ wing. While he’s still struggling to put together consistently impressive performances, he’s made enough of an impact to secure a rotational role for the franchise. Patty Mills might play real minutes as the only true backup point guard on this roster right now.
The other players aren’t really playable for a winning franchise right now. Kobe Brown has impressed in limited minutes but he simply cannot be a reliable backup big man right now for a Playoff team and Cam Christie is very early in his development window.
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