Clippers just does not have enough offensive firepower without Kawhi Leonard
Losing Kawhi Leonard has definitely hurt the Clippers’ chances of beating the Suns in this series and could ultimately be their downfall, but nobody has really stepped up in his place to try and make something out of nothing for the Clippers.
Paul George has continued to show out and be great in these playoffs for his team, regardless of what social media slander says about him, and Reggie Jackson has also been terrific in the postseason, but Ty Lue is almost “rolling the dice” on where the rest of this team’s production is going to come from.
Marcus Morris has not looked like himself in this series after injuring his left knee early on in this series, Nicolas Batum has seen his minutes decline due to Zubac playing better and Terance Mann is not going to go out and consistently have 39-point nights like he did against the Jazz.
Getting a combined 50+ points from George and Jackson is great, but if nobody else is scoring for the Clippers, the Phoenix Suns already have the advantage. It is sad that we do not get to see Kawhi in this series because things would definitely be more interesting, but the fact of the matter right now for the Clippers is that they have been held in check offensively.
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After making 20 three-pointers in Game 1 of this series in Phoenix, the Clippers’ perimeter-shooting has declined, as they made 13 threes in Game 2, 12 threes in Game 3 and just 5 threes in Game 4. If they are to have any chance of winning Game 5, guys like Morris, Batum, Mann and even someone like Luke Kennard are going to have to knock down some more shots from the perimeter.
Their three-point shots falling is the only chance the Clippers have in this series, especially with them not being able to do anything in the paint against DeAndre Ayton. Perimeter shooting has always been a strength for Los Angeles this season, so it should be interesting to see how they perform with their backs up against the wall once again.
