The Los Angeles Clippers enter the 2015-16 season with high hopes after an active offseason. The team’s defining move was re-signing DeAndre Jordan, which came after he reneged on an agreement with the Dallas Mavericks. In addition, several key role players were added to mix up the frontcourt.
Los Angeles Clippers 2015 roster: Help on the way for Chris Paul, Blake Griffin
After retaining DeAndre Jordan and adding reinforcements, the Clippers are ready to make another run.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles' options on the wings look much different this season. Future Hall of Famer Paul Pierce has reunited with coach Doc Rivers on a three-year deal, Lance Stephenson was acquired via trade from the Charlotte Hornets and Wesley Johnson was signed as affordable depth. Each player involves some risk, but L.A. is gambling that together they'll be an improvement over the likes of Matt Barnes and Hedo Turkoglu.
The real story of the offseason, however, was Jordan. The 27-year-old big man entered the summer as one of the league’s top unrestricted free agents and agreed to terms on a maximum contract with the Mavericks on the first day of free agency. Then, in an almost unprecedented move, Jordan decided to back out of his agreement with Dallas in order to return to Los Angeles. The situation unsurprisingly led to some frustration from the Mavs, who believed they had a deal in place.
The Clippers couldn’t afford to let Jordan walk for nothing because it would’ve been impossible to replace him. Now, even after several years of falling short in the playoffs, Los Angeles is once again positioned to be a prime contender in the Western Conference. Depending on how the new additions fit into the grand plan, this could be the year Clippers fans have been waiting to see.
LAST YEAR
RECORD: 56-26 (third in Western Conference)
PLAYOFFS: Lost to Houston Rockets, 4-3, in Western Conference Semifinals
OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY: 109.8 (first)
DEFENSIVE EFFICIENCY: 103.0 (15th)
ROSTER
No. | PLAYER | POS | HEIGHT | WEIGHT | AGE | COLLEGE |
| 1 | Lance Stephenson | SG | 6'5 | 230 | 25 | Cincinnati |
| 3 | Chris Paul | PG | 6'0 | 175 | 30 | Wake Forest |
| 4 | J.J. Redick | SG | 6'4 | 190 | 31 | Duke |
| 5 | Josh Smith | PF | 6'9 | 225 | 29 | High school |
| 6 | DeAndre Jordan | C | 6'11 | 265 | 27 | Texas A&M |
| 9 | Pablo Prigioni | PG | 6'3 | 185 | 38 | Argentina |
| 11 | Jamal Crawford | SG | 6'5 | 200 | 35 | Michigan |
| 22 | Branden Dawson | PF | 6'7 | 220 | 22 | Michigan State |
| 25 | Austin Rivers | PG | 6'4 | 200 | 27 | Duke |
| 30 | C.J. Wilcox | SG | 6'5 | 195 | 24 | Washington |
| 32 | Blake Griffin | PF | 6'10 | 251 | 26 | Oklahoma |
| 33 | Wesley Johnson | SF | 6'7 | 215 | 28 | Syracuse |
| 34 | Paul Pierce | SF | 6'7 | 235 | 37 | Kansas |
| 44 | Chuck Hayes | C | 6'6 | 240 | 32 | Kentucky |
| 45 | Cole Aldrich | C | 6'11 | 250 | 26 | Kansas |
Coach: Doc Rivers
Assistant coaches: Sam Cassell, Lawrence Frank, Armond Hill, Brendan O'Connor, Mike Woodson
OFFSEASON CHANGES
IN: Paul Pierce, Lance Stephenson, Josh Smith, Pablo Prigioni, Cole Aldrich, Wesley Johnson, Chuck Hayes
OUT: Matt Barnes, Spencer Hawes, Glen Davis, Hedo Turkoglu, Jordan Farmar, Ekpe Udoh, Dahntay Jones
The big moves came to overhaul the team's forward corps, with Pierce, Stephenson and Smith taking over for Barnes, Davis and Turkoglu. Prigioni also comes in to replace Farmar as a backup to CP3. The core of Paul, Griffin, Jordan, Crawford and Redick remains intact.
DEPTH CHART
POINT GUARD | SHOOTING GUARD | SMALL FORWARD | POWER FORWARD | CENTER | |
STARTER | Chris Paul | J.J. Redick | Paul Pierce | Blake Griffin | DeAndre Jordan |
RESERVE | Austin Rivers | Jamal Crawford | Lance Stephenson | Josh Smith | Cole Aldrich |
RESERVE | Pablo Prigioni | C.J. Wilcox | Wesley Johnson | Branden Dawson | Chuck Hayes |
RESERVE |
THE KEY QUESTION
Which team do the Clippers not want to see in the playoffs?
In the past, I would have said the San Antonio Spurs. They're a savvy group of players that have defied Father Time. Their execution is second to none. Gregg Popovich is the only coach in the NBA that I would rate as better than Doc Rivers. Their addition of LaMarcus Aldridge and David West only makes them tougher. Yet the Clippers beat the Spurs last year in the playoffs. The psychological fear of an invincible juggernaut has been replaced by the mere knowledge of the Spurs being a really good team.
Instead, the Clippers probably want to avoid the Golden State Warriors in the playoffs. The Warriors are young, healthy well-coached and won an absurd 67 games last year. (It makes you wonder how many games they would've won had they played in the Eastern Conference.) Just as the Spurs had an aura of invincibility, the Warriors seem to have that aura now given their lights-out shooting led by Stephen Curry. No lead against them seems safe.
-Jonathan Hu, Clips Nation. Read the full preview here.
PREDICTIONS
BEST CASE: Paul, Griffin and Jordan lead the Clippers to their first NBA championship after an exciting playoff run. Pierce shows he's not quite done yet and delivers one last clutch postseason for the ages to earn his second ring. Steve Ballmer absolutely loses his mind on live television while reporters try to ask him questions about his team winning a title.
WORST CASE: Another year, another disappointing playoff ouster at the hands of a beatable opponent. Other than the obvious answer -- a devastating, long-term injury to CP3 or Griffin -- it feels like the Clippers need to at least make the NBA Finals to avoid disappointment.
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