Chris Paul, Blake Griffin frustrated with struggling Clippers
According to point guard Chris Paul, things may be worse than they seem for the Los Angeles Clippers.
After their 107-97 loss on Saturday to the underperforming Houston Rockets -- the team that knocked them out of the Western Conference semifinals last season -- Paul expressed his disappointment with his team's performance this season.
“We’re not a team that anybody needs to be worried about, I’ll tell you that. Not right now,” Paul said via the Orange County Register. “We still have a lot of work to do. Being how our team was last year, we’re behind as far as figuring out that trust.”
After Monday's loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, they're at 16-13, and have failed to live up to the high preseason expectations, oftentimes looking lethargic and uninterested with the task at hand.
“We have to be better than this,” forward Blake Griffin said according to the Register. “We are better than this, and we’re not showing it.”
Looking at the numbers, it's clear that their high-powered offensive approach that has been successful in years past hasn't been firing on all cylinders.
2014-15 statistics - Points: 106.7, opponent points: 100.1, point differential: +6.6, offensive efficiency: 109.8, defensive efficiency: 103.0, field goal percentage: 47.3%, three-point percentage: 37.6%, assists: 24.8, steals: 7.8, rebounds: 42.6
2015-16 statistics - Points: 102.4, opponent points: 101.2, point differential: +1.2, offensive efficiency: 103.9, defensive efficiency: 101.7, field goal percentage: 45.6%, three-point percentage: 34.1%, assists: 22.8, steals: 7.2, rebounds: 42.6
In addition to their struggles as a team, much of the Clippers' misfortune can be attributed to the individual play of the newly acquired Paul Pierce, Lance Stephenson and Josh Smith.
Paul Pierce 2014-15 statistics (with Washington Wizards) - Points: 11.9, rebounds: 4.0, assists: 2.0, field goal percentage: 44.7%, player efficiency rating: 15.23
2015-16 statistics - Points: 4.1, rebounds: 2.3, assists: 0.8, field goal percentage: 31.3%, player efficiency rating: 5.5
(Points, rebounds, assists, field goal percentage, and player efficiency rating are all career lows, and his PER ranks 318th out of 325 qualified players)
Lance Stephenson 2014-15 statistics (with Charlotte Hornets) - Points: 8.2, rebounds: 4.5, assists: 3.9, field goal percentage: 37.6%, player efficiency rating: 8.87
2015-16 statistics - Points: 4.6, rebounds: 2.7, assists: 1.7, field goal percentage: 44%, player efficiency rating: 8.0
(Points, rebounds, assists, and player efficiency rating lowest since his 2011-12 season)
Josh Smith 2014-15 statistics (with Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets) - Points: 12.4, rebounds: 6.4, assists: 3.3, field goal percentage: 41.9%, player efficiency rating: 14.92
2015-16 statistics - Points: 5.9, rebounds: 4.0, assists: 1.4, field goal percentage: 39.5%, player efficiency rating: 14.63
(Career lows in points, assists, rebounds, and field goal percentage)
With over a quarter of the season in the books, and with the Warriors way out in front in the West and teams like the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder not too far behind, the clock is quickly ticking in Los Angeles.