Fourteen games into the season, the Clippers are already six games under .500 and riddled with injuries, putting coach Ty Lue’s rotation and scheme adjustments under the brightest spotlight yet.
With Kawhi Leonard limited to six games, Bradley Beal out for the season with a hip fracture and Derrick Jones Jr. expected to miss at least six weeks with an MCL sprain, Lue has already been forced to use six different starting lineups this season, a number most NBA teams don’t reach until well into a full 82-game season.
All 14 games have featured one sure starter: Ivica Zubac at center. Everything else has been pure chaos, with role players John Collins and Kris Dunn constantly rotating in alongside James Harden. Yet lineups like Harden-Dunn-Batum-Collins-Zubac have struggled, allowing 135.3 points per 100 possessions and posting a -20.6 net rating.
When lineups like that are on the floor together, opponents score at will and the Clippers’ offense grinds to a halt. There’s almost no off-ball movement, no consistent perimeter shooting, and far too many isolation possessions that end in contested looks as the deficit grows. That’s the reality behind all the shuffling, and it happens nearly every night.
After a 19-point loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Lue admitted the injuries have kept him from settling on any real rotations, ultimately leading to adjustments.
Lue said the Clippers haven’t had a real chance to evaluate lineup combinations with both Beal and Leonard out and that they’ll “continue to be patient with evaluating lineups,” (via Joey Linn).
That’s not to say players haven’t stepped up when called upon. In fact it’s quite the opposite. For the first time in many seasons, Lue has relied on the younger players and they have delivered in key moments.
Jordan Miller has been part of several lineups this season. In a NBA Cup matchup against the Denver Nuggets, he played 26 minutes and scored 22 points, hitting multiple threes and providing one of the few sparks for the Clippers early in the season.
Performances like Miller's have prompted Lue to test second-unit lineups that include Cam Christie, Kobe Brown, Brook Lopez and Bogdan Bogdanović, a game in which that group posted a +5 plus-minus in the fourth quarter.
While the Clippers have been short-handed so far this season, Miller made it clear he sees these opportunities as his chance to step up. “To say that I’m not would be a lie. Next man up mentality. I’ve just got to go out there and be consistent,” Miller said, according to Farbod Esnaashari.
Ty Lue has recently taken it one step further, electing to start rookie Kobe Sanders in Monday's matchup against the 76ers. In return, Sanders delivered a phenomenal performance, scoring a career-high 17 points on 5-of-11 shooting with three 3-pointers in the Clippers' 110-108 loss.
The move reflects a larger trend under Lue this season—with veterans sidelined, he has shown a willingness to start rookies and young players who are ready to contribute. Kobe Sanders is the latest example: a second-round pick posting a +6 plus-minus in just six games on efficient 41/38/85 shooting splits.
It’s early in the season with 68 games left, and with Lue continuing to make adjustments while the young pieces step up, the Clippers have already flashed potential in stretches and have plenty of time to get it right.
