The Clippers upgraded the inside and signed Bills to meet the version requirements, but whether they can compete for the championship depends on Lu He s dual core

What is the password for the new version of the NBA after the Thunder reached the top in the 2024-25 season?

Stars with strong offensive ability (it is better to have strong free throw ability), long rotation (9-10 people rotation is basic), large inside (at least to ensure the advantages of the fourth and fifth positions), and strong stealing ability (create the advantage of the number of shots and simple scoring opportunities).

From the Clippers' contract renewal with Harden and Batum, introducing Lopez and Bill, and trading in exchange for a series of operations by John Collins, the Clippers have a deep understanding and accurate grasp of the new version of the password.

Harden supports the pick-and-roll, and Leonard can overcome the tough situation in his healthy state. The new Clippers can easily generate 10-player rotation. If a substitute point guard (such as Chris Paul) is introduced in the future, the Clippers' rotation can be extended to 11 players. Lopez and Corinth upgraded the Clippers' interior height, depth and variety of play. With the help of Van Gundy Jr., the Clippers were already the top 5 teams in the league with steal rate and scored with opponents' mistakes.

Clippers President Frank completed targeted reinforcements and created a team that is both offensive and defensive and has a solid depth. As for how high the Clippers' upper limit is and whether they can bid farewell to the reputation of "offseason loan champion", it depends on Coach Lu's coaching, Leonard and Harden's health and tough performance.

In the past two years, Frank, who has been criticized, has been like a papermaker. At first glance, Frank has been tearing down the east wall and repairing the west wall, but after two years, no matter whether it was a coincidence or not, Frank really understood.

Last year, Frank used Paul George to exchange for operational space, and the full middle class special case + sign first and then upgraded to the wing defense. This year, Frank split the middle class and signed Lopez with a special case, sending Powell, who played his career masterpiece last season, for Corinth, and then won Bill with a two-year, $11 million cheap contract after Bill reached a buyout agreement with the Suns. A series of operations are targeted, echoed and cost-effective.

Bill, like Ayton, is a model of high salary and low ability under maximum salary. His salary plummeted to $5.3 million ($5.7 million in the second year is the player option) and has transformed into a representative of high cost performance. Last season, compared to Bill, Powell used higher ball rights to play higher offensive efficiency, but Bill was at least the All-Star of the past, and his resume was there.

According to reports from all parties, since Bill and the Suns began to discuss buying out, the Suns have allowed Bill and his agent to contact other teams. Harden came forward to recruit Bill, and coach Lu explained to Bill how to release his potential. In addition, Clippers trainer Jesse Phillips had worked with Bill for many years with the Wizards, and Bill had already promised to join the Clippers. After receiving Bill's promise, it was easy to understand that the Clippers sent away Powell, who was the same age as Bill, had an annual salary of $20.48 million and was facing an early renewal. The Clippers upgraded the frontcourt and replaced Powell with the cheaper Bill, which meant that there was no loss of firepower in the backcourt. They spent more than 10 million US dollars to make up for a starting frontcourt.

In the Clippers' system, Bill is fully qualified for Powell's role. For example, as a weak side ball holder, a single hard solution if necessary, and a finisher in hand-handed and off-ball cover are also Bill's strengths. There is no need to worry about the compatibility of Bill with Harden and Leonard. Bill has been hitting 3-pointers for three consecutive seasons, and he started out as a offense without a ball in the Wizards.

Bill's assist ability is above Powell. Last season, Powell's average of 2.1 assists per game was a career high, and Bill's average of 3.7 assists per game was the lowest since the 2016-17 season. If the Clippers do not introduce substitute point guards for the time being, Bill can take the ball in the rotation time and get Harden more rest time. But considering that Bill's assist-and-turnover ratio is not ideal, the Clippers' turnover rate was eighth highest last season, and the advantage of shooting times created by the high steal rate was returned by their own high turnover rate. The Clippers need to consider assist-and-turnover ratio Paul.

In the middle of last season, Frank tried to sign Ben Simmons to solve the gaps in both the substitute point guard and the substitute center. The so-called "organized center" sounds tall and has extremely poor actual results. The Clippers are still the best team to protect their backcourt rebounds in the regular season, but they were dominated by the Nuggets' large frontcourt in the playoffs. Do you still remember Gordon's final hit? The value of the tall center is back, and all teams are hoarding large-scale fourth and fifth positions. The Clippers have given up the idea of going to the fifth small team when encountering problems and chose to follow the version.

Lopez and Corinth join, the former can play Zubac's substitute, while the latter is likely to serve as the starting lineup and partner Zubac with Zubac's frontcourt, liberating Leonard back to the third position. When facing opponents at certain moments, the double tower combination of Lopez + Zubac and Collins play the fifth position of the small ball will also appear. They are all Harden's ideal pick-and-roll partner and can lead to ever-changing moves. The Clippers have taken a two-pronged approach to improving space and body size. Lopez and Corinth provided shooting ability that Zubac did not have, and also provided two insurances to protect the Clippers' rebounds.

The new season, the Clippers can make 10 players rotation. According to The Athletic, coach Lu plans to let Bill play the starting lineup first. The five starting teams in the Clippers may be Harden, Bill, Leonard, Collins and Zubac. Bogdan Bogdanovic, Derek Jones, Lopez, Batum and Dunn are on standby on the bench. Compared with the three Western Conference strong teams, the Thunder, Rockets and Nuggets, the Clippers have indeed completed upgrades in terms of interior height and lineup thickness.

The people joked that the Clippers have once again become offseason champions. If you want to truly become a championship team in the new season, the Clippers must first ensure health, and then hope that Coach Lu will coach at a high level and Harden and Leonard will perform as top stars..

The Clippers have the capital to use long rotation. Coach Lu, who insisted on eight-man rotation last season, can finally fight a wealthy battle. Can he play this lineup?

At present, the Clippers do not have a perfect lineup that has both offense and defense. Bill starts and Leonard plays the third position. In theory, the Clippers can pull up the offense, but the compatibility of the frontcourt combination between Collins and Zubac needs to be tested. On the defensive end, Bill + Harden partnered in the backcourt, and Leonard had to play more of the ball defender, which was contrary to the Clippers' goal of reducing their burdens and escorting them.

In the high-end inning, can Bogdanovic's defense, Dunn and Jones Jr.'s offensive performances win them the trust of Coach Lu? Especially Dunn and Jones Jr. They are the main outside defenders when the Clippers play top defense. Bill, Collins, and Lopez of the Grand League have eaten a lot of playing time. Dunn and Jones Jr.'s playing time will inevitably be affected, and the Clippers' outside defense quality may decline.

If Coach Lu can say goodbye to the hang-up mode, clarify the rotation issues, and conduct micro-operation on-the-spot command, then the decisive factor in how far the Clippers go is the playoff performance of Harden and Leonard. In the first round of last season, Harden gave 13 assists, but only scored 7 points in 2 of 8 shots. Leonard scored 22 points and had a plus-minus value on the court - 33 points. The team was the worst.

The good news is that Leonard finally does not need to recover from his injuries during the offseason this year. After he was eliminated from the playoffs, he practiced at normal intensity until June, and played in the finals in the simulated season. With the Clippers' deep upgrade, Harden does not need to experience huge consumption like in the first half of last season, and can save more energy for the second half and the playoffs. The performance of the two in high-end games in the new season is worth looking forward to.

This time, the Clippers at least seem to be "everything is ready".

As we all know, the Clippers formulated the "2027 plan" before the Lakers. Since the renewal of Leonard in advance, the Clippers have been planning the 2027 free market in advance. If the Clippers' record in the new season is still not ideal, Frank may not mind dismantling this increasingly aging team a year ahead of schedule. He admitted in an interview after introducing Collins that he was planning for the future.

The clues can also be seen from the contracts of Harden, Bill, Corinth, Lopez, Batum and Bogdanovic. The new season may be the last chance Ballmer and Frank give the Clippers. The Clippers need to have this last dance, and they will be able to defeat the team without winning the championship, and do their best to leave no regrets.

source:7m cn sports