This Version Of The LA Clippers’ Defense Is Fun And Supercharged

One of the pleasant surprises of the 2024-25 NBA season is taking place in Inglewood — although it shouldn’t come as a shock given the organization’s track record.

If there’s one thing we know, Ty Lue can coach a top-notch defense and he consistently gets the most out of his players.

Even when the odds are stacked against the LA Clippers from a health and availability standpoint, that doesn’t stop them from being a scrappy, disciplined, and unrelenting defense that becomes headache-inducing for opponents.

Just past the quarter pole of the season, the Clippers rank eighth in halfcourt defensive rating. They are currently allowing 94.8 points per 100 halfcourt possessions, a mark narrowly outside the top five.

With a 14-11 record and only two games out of a homecourt seed, they’re on pace for a 46-win season. That would be almost 10 wins above most of the outsiders’ expectations from last summer — and seven above my projection of 39 wins, which could look silly once they slide a certain All-NBA wing into the lineup.

All of this is being achieved without the services of Kawhi Leonard, who’s doing everything he can to return to action.

Leonard has missed all 25 games this season while going through right knee rehabilitation, as he’s dealt with various levels of swelling dating back to March. All indications point to him ramping up his activities in practice with the hope of making his season debut in the coming weeks.

When he returns, Leonard only accentuates the team’s defensive strengths and gives them more lineup flexibility. While he’s not the same nightmare on the wing that made ball-handlers weep during his prime, he’s still a pterodactyl with veteran instincts that disrupts every passing lane and strikes fear into opponents when they drive.

These first two months of the season can be thrown atop the mountain of evidence that Lue is a substantial difference-maker on the sidelines. In fact, you could argue he’s among the sharpest basketball minds of the last 20 years.

He’s an expert problem-solver that knew from the moment Paul George left in free agency: They still had the tools to compete.

Lue was right. We should have listened. After all, when does he ever have a bad team? The only instance in his coaching career was in 2018 when LeBron James left the Cavaliers high and dry with a rotation that nobody could win with.

Now, with a team full of hungry rotation players — many with chips on their shoulder — LA is piecing together a quality defensive season.

But what are their strongest keys to success?

In an exclusive interview, Clippers forward Derrick Jones Jr. tells me part of the secret sauce for LA’s stingy defense is Ivica Zubac’s vocal leadership on the court, directing guys to where they should be and yelling out coverages on the fly.

Most viewers don’t think of Zubac as having the strongest vocal presence based on his demeanor and off-court personality. But as the longest-tenured Clipper (also predating the coaching staff), he’s earned a level of respect and authority in that locker room.

It stems from how knowledgeable he is defensively, with his teammates fully trusting him on that end of the floor. With Lue having a lot of roster turnover this past summer, there had to be a defensive anchor to help get the newcomers up to speed on their schemes.

As Jones explains it, Zubac is that linchpin. He’s quarterbacking the defense on nearly every possession. When the point-of-attack defender gets screened, Zubac is the

“It’s simple for me and him,” Jones said. “I try not to get hit on screens. But if I do, obviously I’ll pursue (the ball-handler). If they got a pick-and-pop big, then I’ll listen to the calls. Whenever Zu calls something, I honor the call. If he doesn’t make a call, then I’ll keep pursuing. We just have that understanding.”

When the Clippers signed Jones in the offseason, it gave them some defensive insurance for Leonard’s absence (and the departure of Paul George). Jones had played important roles for stout defenses in the past, including a top-five unit in Chicago in 2023 and last year’s Finals run with the Mavericks.

You can never have too much athleticism on the perimeter, and the Clippers were lacking it as the roster grew older. With Jones and his seven-foot wingspan, they are able to switch more without conceding an advantage. Plus, if he gets beat on a drive, the ability to recover and divert shots on rearview contests is a lot easier for players with his physical stature.

One of the core tenants of this year’s defense is walling off the paint — by way of strong perimeter defenders and Zubac’s always-stellar rim protection. The Clips are allowing the fifth-fewest shots at the rim, with opponents only taking roughly 31% of their shots within four feet of the basket. That’s an improvement from 12th last year.

By taking away those easier attempts, LA has collectively decided to give up more long-range shots. On the surface, that sounds counterproductive in the modern NBA, where 3-pointers are king and ultimately create a math problem too steep to overcome.

However, the Clippers are being smart about what kind of threes to allow. They are following the same blueprint Mike Budenholzer’s Bucks adopted from 2019 to 2023, when they were perennial title contenders. By incentivizing teams to launch contested above-the-break threes (and limiting the corner attempts), the Clippers are playing the percentages and trusting that shutting off the paint will lead to victories.

They currently allow the most above-the-break threes in the NBA — and it’s proving to be a successful strategy. Teams are only shooting 33.8% on those looks, the third-worst mark in the league.

Are they benefiting from some shooting luck? Sure. But a lot of teams can say that after 25 games.

If opponents do regress to the mean and start getting hot, Lue is one of the coaches that’s not married to any particular system. They will adjust on the fly.

Just as important as the type of shots they allow, though, is the number of shots on a given play.

Baked into the Clippers’ defensive formula is finishing possessions the right way — not allowing second and third opportunities for the opponent. When any team is missing a shot creator (and cheat code) of Leonard’s caliber, they have to win the possession battle. It creates a friendlier margin for error, giving their offense enough bites at the apple to make up for the talent disparity in some matchups.

Collecting nearly 74% of opponents’ misses, LA is the best defensive rebounding unit in the league. With Zubac having a career year in many respects — which makes sense considering he’s squarely in his prime at age 27 — his increased impact as a rebounder has paid dividends for the team’s defense. Among all 169 players to average at least 25 minutes of playing time, Zubac ranks fifth in defensive rebound rate.

Zubac’s best trait as a defensive big is how solid and poised he remains. His foul rate has dropped significantly this season, and that might be the biggest reason LA’s defense has looked impressive to date.

The Clippers rarely send teams to the foul line when Zubac is manning the middle. Opponents have a .216 foul rate when he’s on the floor, which would rank 28th in the league.

If you compare that to when Zubac has to rest, which isn’t as frequent these days, it’s a massive dropoff. The Clippers’ opponents have a .323 free throw rate when Zubac rests, a mark that would easily lead the NBA.

So not only has Zubac evolved into one of the premier defensive bigs, but his level of discipline as a rim protector should be recognized when making decisions about All-Defensive Team selections.

Adding Kris Dunn to the rotation was another blessing in disguise for this team.

In the 565 minutes Dunn has played, the Clippers have forced opponents into turnovers on 17% of their possessions. For context, that would be the second-worst rate in basketball. When he’s off the court (640 minutes), they have only forced turnovers 13.7% of the time, which frankly isn’t enough for this version of the team.

Dunn is constantly jumping passing lanes, stripping players with loose handles, and pouncing on every opportunity when guards seem too relaxed.

“He never gives up,” Jones said referring to Dunn’s defensive activity. “He’s always moving around and always giving the maximum effort and doing everything, putting his body on the line for the team. Just getting everything done that we ask.”

With Dunn in the lineup, LA is holding teams to just 101.7 points per 100 possessions. That’s 11 points below league-average, making him one of the most impactful individual defenders across the NBA.

His partnership with Zubac is exactly what the Clippers needed since the departure of Patrick Beverley in 2021. Dunn is the injection of point-of-attack defense they’ve missed for the last three years, hounding elite scoring guards and funneling them directly into Zubac, who has become a master in drop coverage.

Among all two-man combinations in the league to play at least 400 minutes so far, the Dunn-Zubac tandem have the third-best defensive rating. The only two above them belong to the Houston Rockets — Dillon Brooks and Alperen Şengün, along with the ‘Terror Twins’ of Amen Thompson and Tari Eason.

Earning just over $5 million annually, Dunn is in the running for the best bargain contracts in the league when you account for his ability to get the Clippers in transition.

That’s primarily how the Clippers work around each other’s offensive limitations. When you’re considered a league-average shooting team, you can make up the difference by leveling up the aggression. That includes getting riskier and not minding if guards take a few gambles.

If you ask Jones, that’s the style the players prefer. It’s also a credit to Lue and defensive coordinator Jeff Van Gundy for empowering their guys on that end of the floor.

“The schemes that we have, it allows guys to be themselves out there and be as aggressive as they can,” Jones said. “For us, we try to get steals, get out on the break, and have fun. That’s the point of the game — we go out there and have fun.”

It’s easy to see the blueprint of how the Clippers can become a serious Western Conference threat when Leonard is back in the picture. Lineups featuring the trio of Dunn-Jones-Leonard are going to be hellacious. Good luck swinging the ball from side to side, or dribbling through traffic against them.

Believe it or not, James Harden is part of that identity, too. Harden might not have the reputation of a defensive guru, but his quick and feisty hands have long been underrated. This season, he’s averaging the most deflections he’s posted since 2021, and his steal rate of 2.3% is the highest its been in five years.

Even at age 35 with his north-to-south speed dwindling, Harden continues finding ways to make his teammates shine. Just by increasing his defensive activity and forcing more turnovers, he creates scoring opportunities for others.

“It helps a whole lot,” Jones said on Harden’s defensive chops. “He’s helping us get out on fastbreaks, get in transition, and letting all the athletes we have on our team just be who they are. He gets downhill and makes plays for everybody.”

With a more connected and dialed-in defense this year, the Clippers are enjoying the early part of the season. For the first time in a while, there weren’t major expectations. Externally, at least.

It has enabled them to play freely, try new approaches, and find ways to stay afloat while they wait for Leonard to be cleared.

At this pace, the franchise should feel safe about extending its NBA-leading streak of 14 consecutive seasons with a winning record.