How will Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and the Los Angeles Clippers do in 2016-17 after a series of injuries that resulted in an early playoff exit last season?
Here are our player scouting reports and analysis.
Projected starters
Chris Paul
Position: Guard
Experience: 11 years
Age: 31
Scouting report
+ Elite point guard who has yet to show any signs of aging in his 30s
+ Can do everything necessary of point guard as scorer and passer
+ Tough defender who generates frequent steals
Analysis
Each year, we keep waiting for Paul -- who turned 31 in May -- to show some concession to his age. When he dealt with a groin injury last November and got off to a relatively slow start, that looked like it might finally be happening. However, Paul turned it on after Blake Griffin was sidelined and submitted another vintage campaign. Alas, the season ended in yet another playoff disappointment, this one due to injury. A broken bone in his right hand sidelined Paul in Game 4 of the Clippers' series against the Portland Trail Blazers. Los Angeles lost the series 4-2 without him.
Paul is equally adept setting up talented teammates or taking on a more active role creating his own shots, which allowed him to quickly shift gears when Griffin went down. At that point, Paul's usage rate was 24.7 percent of the Clippers' plays, his highest since arriving in L.A. but in line with previous seasons. The rest of the season, he increased it to 28.0 percent -- a mark that would be his career-high -- while simultaneously scoring more efficiently.
Every part of Paul's offensive game works in concert. His shooting ability forces defenses to play through screens, which sets up his ability to drive to the basket. Despite his small stature, Paul is a good enough finisher to draw help, which sets out kickouts to teammates. (His 11.0 assists per 36 minutes ranked second in the league.) And Paul is a dangerous midrange shooter in isolations, particularly after switches.
An excellent defender as well, Paul earned All-Defensive First Team honors for the fifth consecutive season and sixth time overall. His steal rate ranked fourth in the league among players with a thousand minutes, and though Paul is undersized at 6-foot, he plays tough against bigger opponents by getting low to create leverage.
J.J. Redick
Position: Guard
Experience: 10 years
Age: 32
Scouting report
+ Premier shooter who led league in 3-point percentage
+ Has mastered art of moving without the ball
+ Competes defensively despite small wingspan
Analysis
Redick reached new heights in his 10th NBA season. He hit a career-high 47.5 percent of his 3-point attempts, leading the league for the first time, and averaged a career-best 21.0 points per 36 minutes. (Redick's per-game scoring average ticked slightly downward because he got more rest.) And in his free time, Redick emerged as an ace podcaster.
While Redick is a third option for the Clippers on offense, coach Doc Rivers likes to call plays for him early. In fact, his 24.5 points per 36 minutes in the first quarter ranked sixth in the league among regulars, according to NBA.com/Stats, just ahead of All-Stars James Harden and Russell Westbrook. As accurate as Redick is spotting up (his 77 percent effective field-goal percentage on spot-up shots ranked second in the NBA, just ahead of Stephen Curry, per Synergy Sports tracking on NBA.com/Stats), it's his ability to shoot on the move that really sets him apart. With Ray Allen and Rip Hamilton retired, Redick is probably the NBA player who moves best without the ball. Redick's conditioning allows him to continually sprint off screens, and his 454 points on such plays trailed only Klay Thompson.
Redick's defense is challenging to evaluate statistically because he almost never forces steals (his 1.0 per 100 team plays was third-worst among guards) and is a non-factor on the defensive glass (third-worst among all regulars, grabbing 6.6 percent of available misses). Yet Redick has become a fine team defender and a credible one-on-one option. Adjusted for teammates, the Clippers defended better with him on the court last season, which is impressive for a shooting guard.
Wesley Johnson
Position: Forward
Experience: 6 years
Age: 29
Scouting report
+ Former lottery pick who's found new life as 3-and-D specialist
+ Only adequate 3-point shooter
+ Proved effective as wing defender in Clippers' system
Analysis
Despite starting for the L.A. Lakers much of the previous two seasons, Johnson settled for a minimum offer from the Clippers as a free agent last summer. He parlayed a solid campaign as a role player into a lucrative new three-year deal starting at the $5.6 million mid-level exception that suggests he's likely to become the Clippers' starting small forward with Jeff Green's departure.
Offensively, Johnson actually took a slight step back from his two years in purple and gold. His 3-point percentage fell from 36.0 percent as a Laker to 33.3 percent. Since Johnson took a career-high 60 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc, that made it difficult for him to score efficiently. Johnson might fare better as a starter because of the open looks he's likely to get, though in last year's small sample he shot worse from 3-point range playing with Paul (31.1 percent) than without him (35.1 percent), per NBA.com/Stats.
Playing in a strong defensive system for the first time in his career, Johnson started to live up to his potential as a wing defender. Johnson's length (he's 6-foot-7 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan) can pose problems for opponents and allows him to defend anywhere from point guards to small power forwards. Though Johnson sometimes is too much of a risk-taker defending 1-on-1, his defensive rating in ESPN's real plus-minus ranked among the top five small forwards. If that's real and not noise, Johnson can be a valuable contributor to the Clippers going forward.
Blake Griffin
Position: Forward
Experience: 6 years
Age: 27
Scouting report
+ Athletic power forward who's transitioned to relying on skills
+ Excellent ballhandler for size who can serve as point forward
+ Good rebounder who's surprisingly ineffective blocking shots
Analysis
Griffin made more headlines off the court than on it in 2015-16. While nearing a return from the torn quadriceps that sidelined him for a month, Griffin got in a fight with then-Clippers assistant equipment manager Matias Testi. The punch Griffin threw caused a fractured fourth metacarpal that cost Griffin another two months, plus a four-game suspension without pay after he was cleared to return. Griffin never looked quite right before aggravating the quad injury in the playoffs, ending his season.
Though a summer of rest should heal Griffin's quadriceps, the injury is another sign Griffin's game will continue moving below the rim. And that's OK. Griffin's dunks as a percentage of his shot attempts dropped again, from 8.0 percent in 2014-15 (down from 14.2 percent from 2013-14) to 6.3 percent, per Basketball-Reference.com. But he was still plenty effective using his versatile floor game.
Griffin used a career-high 29.8 percent of the Clippers' plays. Creating more of his own shots means lots of isolations from the mid-post to the 3-point line, where Griffin is a threat to shoot (he made a respectable 38.4 percent of 2-point attempts beyond 16 feet) or pass (5.2 assists per 36 minutes). Defenses have started to counter by putting their centers on Griffin to bother him with length, opening him up to drive. Since Griffin is so effective with the ball in his hands, it's tough to understand why Rivers has as yet been unwilling to stagger his minutes with Paul's to keep one on the court at all times.
Because he plays so much more on the perimeter, Griffin's offensive rebound percentages have declined sharply. He remains a strong defensive rebounder, and last year's 22.3 percent of opponents' misses was his highest mark since 2011-12. Despite his leaping ability, Griffin has never been a shot blocker, and in fact is below average for a power forward in this regard. He tends to fare better defending one-on-one in the post or on the perimeter.
DeAndre Jordan
Position: Center
Experience: 8 years
Age: 28
Scouting report
+ Athletic center who's a presence at the rim on both ends
+ Value limited by inability to make free throws
+ Has improved defensively to be more than just shot blocker
Analysis
As in 2014-15, Jordan got a boost from improved floor spacing and less competition for lobs during Griffin's absence, this time over a longer period. He averaged 14.2 points and 14.4 rebounds without Griffin, shooting 70.1 percent from the field. While that performance still wasn't enough to earn Jordan All-Star honors, he did nab a spot on the U.S. Olympic team and won a gold medal as starting center during the knockout rounds.
Jordan's 15.4 percent usage rate was the second-highest of his career, and he created a bit more of his own offense in addition to the heavy diet of putbacks and alley-oop finishes that allow him to consistently make more than 70 percent of his shot attempts. More effective with his right hand -- which he uses for most activities off the court -- Jordan has added some hook shots in the post, though he still struggles to pay for opponents putting a smaller defender on him. Jordan continues to shoot free throws left handed, and while his accuracy last season (43.0 percent) was slightly better than his career average (42.1 percent), he was still intentionally fouled a league-high 151 times, artificially producing the highest rate of free throw attempts to field-goal attempts in NBA history.
As a defender, Jordan continues to make strides. Incredibly mobile for his size, he's comfortable pressuring up on big men or switching on guards on the perimeter. Around the basket, Jordan is a good though not elite shot blocker and rim protector. He's also a phenomenal defensive rebounder, if a bit aggressive in securing misses other teammates could rebounds. While he's never had the plus-minus impact his individual statistics would suggest, last season was far and away Jordan's best by defensive RPM. He ranked seventh in the league.
Reserves
Jamal Crawford
Position: Guard
Experience: 16 years
Age: 36
Scouting report
+ Veteran who collected third Sixth Man Award for strong finish
+ Hasn't scored efficiently last two seasons due to 3-point decline
+ Poor defender who can handle the ball but isn't really a point guard
Analysis
With four Clippers starters sitting out, Crawford scored 30 points to lead the reserves to an improbable win at Utah in April. The game had major implications, helping knock the Jazz out of the playoffs and secure Crawford a third Sixth Man Award despite substantially worse superficial stats than his previous two. (Crawford averaged just 14.2 points per game, down from 18.6 and 18.0 those two years.) The 36-year-old Crawford leveraged a "significant" offer from the Philadelphia 76ers as an unrestricted free agent into a new three-year deal from the Clippers worth more than $30 million guaranteed.
Crawford will probably be capable of getting buckets for years to come. He still carried a heavy load for the Clippers' second unit, using nearly a quarter of the team's plays while on the court. However, Crawford's efficiency has declined because he's been less accurate from 3-point range the last couple of seasons: 34.0 percent in 2015-16, up slightly from 32.7 percent the year before. He needs those catch-and-shoot baskets to pad his efficiency given how many midrange jumpers he attempts (35.6 percent of his shots were 2-pointers outside the paint, per NBA.com/Stats.)
While Crawford remains a useful offensive player, he's become a sieve at the defensive end. RPM rated him among the league's bottom 25 defenders. Only fellow Seattle native Jason Terry had a lower defensive rebound percentage and Crawford rarely comes up with steals.
Austin Rivers
Position: Guard
Experience: 4 years
Age: 24
Scouting report
+ Polarizing former lottery pick with ability to put together big games
+ Doesn't have mentality to set up teammates as point guard
+ Capable one-on-one defender who's less effective away from the ball
Analysis
Rivers averaged 21.9 minutes per game for a playoff team and submitted a handful of big performances, including 21 points and eight assists in a starting role as the short-handed Clippers battled gamely at Portland in the deciding Game 6 of that series. So it was easy to justify the three-year deal for more than $35 million he signed as a free agent this summer. Rivers' advanced statistics suggest that was still an overpay.
While Rivers mostly plays point guard, he's not one. His 2.4 assists per 36 minutes were the fewest in the league for a regular point guard, and below average for a shooting guard. Rivers did make strides as a scorer last season, posting a .523 true shooting percentage on the strength of adequate 3-point accuracy (33.5 percent) and the ability to penetrate. Still, the overall offensive package is poor. According to Nylon Calculus tracking, the Clippers were outscored by 8.3 points per 48 minutes with Rivers at point guard. While anyone backing up Paul is likely to have a negative differential, the team was a more competitive minus-2.6 per 48 with Pablo Prigioni at the point. The same may be true this year with Raymond Felton.
Conversely, those numbers do suggest Rivers -- who typically played next to Prigioni -- is a credible option at shooting guard. At 6-foot-4, he's big enough to defend many 2-guards. He tends to be better defending on the ball and hounding opponents than on the weak side, where his focus can wander. Rivers will deny the pass but needs to watch against backdoor cuts.
Brandon Bass
Position: Forward
Experience: 11 years
Age: 31
Scouting report
+ Experienced pick-and-pop big man reunited with Doc Rivers
+ Accurate midrange jump shooter
+ Mobile defender for size
Analysis
In passing on a $3.1 million player option with the L.A. Lakers to eventually take a one-year deal for about half that amount (the veteran's minimum of $1.55 million) from the Clippers, Bass made a bad decision for his bank account but a good one for his chances of winning. Reunited with Rivers, his coach in Boston, Bass will be a top reserve option in the frontcourt.
Historically, Bass has been one of the league's better big men from midrange. He's a career 44.5 percent shooter on 2-point tries from beyond 16 feet, per Basketball-Reference.com, though he slipped to 36.1 percent last season with the Lakers -- probably something of a fluke. Bass is ideal in the pick-and-pop, though he might not find a good partner with the Clippers unless Felton wins a rotation spot since Crawford and Rivers look to score rather than set up teammates.
Because of their young power forwards, the Lakers frequently used Bass as a center. He blocked a career-high 3.2 percent of opponents' 2-point attempts, but at 6-foot-8, Bass will never be confused for a rim protector. He shouldn't have to worry about that role anymore. At 31, Bass remains agile for his size, which has enabled him to successfully defend combo forwards in the past -- most notably LeBron James during playoff battles with the Miami Heat. It's possible Rivers will view him as an antidote to the Golden State Warriors' Death Lineup if the Clippers' starters can't keep up.
Marreese Speights
Position: Center
Experience: 8 years
Age: 29
Scouting report
+ Perimeter-oriented center who's aggressive offensively
+ Added 3-point range during second half of last season
+ Doesn't have strong defensive instincts
Analysis
Through the 2016 All-Star break, Speights' range was mostly limited to 22 feet. Despite attempting to add 3-point range, he'd made just 27 triples in seven-plus seasons. Then something clicked. Speights made 16 3s in the last 29 games of the regular season and 18 more in 24 playoff games, helping him play a key rule at times during the Warriors' Finals run. Renounced to help clear room for Kevin Durant, Speights landed with the Clippers on a two-year minimum deal with a 2017-18 player option that is a bargain for the team.
Always a capable (and prolific) midrange shooter, Speights adding an extra point to his shots made him a more efficient scorer. He boosted his true shooting percentage from .458 before the All-Star break to .573 thereafter. As a 3-point threat, Speights can play the role the Clippers envisioned from Spencer Hawes, a disappointment during his one season (2014-15) in L.A. Ideally, Rivers would work his rotation so Speights frequently plays with Griffin, giving him more space to work on the interior.
At the same time, the Clippers don't want to lean too heavily on Speights because of his defensive shortcomings. He neither protects the rim nor defends well on the perimeter, and the Warriors allowed 5.3 more points per 100 possessions with Speights on the floor last season according to NBA.com/Stats. He's best used in short bursts against lineups that lack the firepower to make the Clippers pay.
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute
Position: Forward
Experience: 8 years
Age: 29
Scouting report
+ Defensive specialist who filled important void
+ Can defend either forward position
+ Unskilled player who's mostly a bystander on offense
Analysis
Mbah a Moute didn't get as much attention as some of the Clippers' other minimum signings, including a failed experiment with Josh Smith, but he ended up starting 61 games at small forward because of his defensive prowess. Though Mbah a Moute might not play quite such a large role this season, he's back with a raise on a two-year, $4.5 million deal.
A defensive stopper early in his NBA career, Mbah a Moute hadn't been as successful since May 2012 knee surgery. However, he was effective for the Clippers in that role, mostly defending wings. For someone listed at 6-foot-8, 230, Mbah a Moute has always moved well laterally, and he embraces the work of defending one-on-one.
Despite being the Clippers' best wing defender, Mbah a Moute rarely finished games and averaged just 17.0 minutes per game -- the lowest average for anyone who started at least 60 games -- because of his offensive shortcomings. Given the green light from 3-point range during his one season with the Philadelphia 76ers, Mbah a Moute went back to rarely taking them after making just 30.7 percent of his 202 attempts in Philadelphia. That left Mbah a Moute mostly a bystander on offense. His 9.4 percent usage rate was fourth-lowest among players who saw at least 1,000 minutes of action.
Alan Anderson
Position: Forward
Experience: 7 years
Age: 33
Scouting report
+ Veteran wing who missed most of 2015-16 due to injury
+ Prolific 3-point shooter, albeit at below-average accuracy
+ Capable of defending both wing spots
Analysis
The Wizards were counting on Anderson to be their top reserve wing last season, but a pair of surgeries on his ankle sidelined him until after the All-Star break. Recurrent ankle pain ultimately limited Anderson to 13 games and dried up his market in free agency. A year after getting $4 million from the Wizards, he settled for a one-year deal at the minimum with the Clippers.
Of Rivers' options at small forward, Anderson might be the best shooter. He made 70-plus 3-pointers each of the previous three seasons before last year, although at a combined 33.9 percent clip that's slightly worse than league average. Nonetheless, thanks to good shot distribution -- better than 70 percent of his attempts were either threes or shots within three feet, per Basketball-Reference.com -- Anderson posted a career-best .563 true shooting percentage in 2014-15. If he can repeat that, Anderson will probably force his way into the rotation.
At 6-foot-6, Anderson is big enough to defend most reserve small forwards in addition to shooting guards. What remains to be seen is how much the ankle trouble might slow him down defensively. Age is also a concern. Anderson turns 34 in October and would likely be in decline even if fully healthy. So it's a good thing the Clippers have plenty of other wing options.
Paul Pierce
Position: Forward
Experience: 18 years
Age: 38
Scouting report
+ Future Hall of Famer approaching finish line of career
+ Struggled with shot making for first time as NBA player
+ Has lost quickness necessary to defend on wing
Analysis
This looks like the end of the line for Pierce, who gave heavy consideration to retirement after a disappointing 2015-16 campaign. Signed by the Clippers as a free agent after playing a key role for the Washington Wizards in the 2014-15 playoffs, Pierce figured to start or at least play major minutes off the bench. Instead, he struggled to defend on the wing or make shots and picked up an unprecedented DNP-CD in Game 4 of L.A.'s series against Portland. Pierce, who will turn 39 in October, will be hard-pressed to bounce back and contribute this season.
Pierce's decline as a shooter was hard to foresee. A 36.9 percent career 3-point shooter who'd shot 38.9 percent in Washington, Pierce dropped all the way to a career-low 31.0 percent beyond the arc. A slower release meant Pierce needed more time and space to get off uncontested looks. Problematically, his declining ability to create his own shot off the dribble also meant that Pierce shot more 3s than ever before. So Pierce's true shooting percentage plummeted from an excellent .580 the previous season to .489.
While the Clippers started Pierce out as a backup power forward, they surely hoped he'd fill the void at small forward by the postseason. That wasn't realistic because Pierce wasn't quick enough laterally to keep up with wings. The Clippers were able to get by with him starting alongside Mbah a Moute, who'd take the tougher defensive matchup, but Pierce effectively served as power forward in those lineups.
Raymond Felton
Position: Guard
Experience: 11 years
Age: 32
Scouting report
+ Squatty point guard whose success varies with conditioning
+ Poor outside shooter who still manages to space the floor
+ Can credibly defend bigger opponents due to strength
Analysis
After playing just 281 minutes for the Dallas Mavericks all of 2014-15, Felton looked headed out of the league. In the last year of his contract, however, Felton forced his way into Rick Carlisle's rotation as part of lineups with multiple point guards. He played well enough to sign on with the Clippers for the minimum, replacing Pablo Prigioni as a veteran point guard who might push Austin Rivers to shooting guard at times.
Heavyset in the best of circumstances, Felton tends to struggle when he adds extra weight and his conditioning suffers. A middling outside shooter (he made 28.2 percent of his 3-point attempts last season, in part because he shoots too many off the dribble), Felton needs quickness to squeeze his way into the paint. Last season's downturn from downtown was offset in part by career-best 63.5 percent shooting inside three feet, per Basketball-Reference.com. An adequate playmaker, Felton still manages to be a threat playing off the ball because of his ability to quickly attack when the ball rotates to him.
At the other end, Felton is probably better off defending shooting guards despite standing just 6-foot-1. He's got a low center of gravity and can be tough to move, while his lateral quickness is not a strength. If and when the Clippers play their two backup point guards together, expect Rivers to defend point guards.
Brice Johnson
Position: Forward
Experience: Rookie
Age: 22
Scouting report
+ Four-year college big man who developed into star as senior
+ Above-the-rim finisher who can step away from the basket
+ Powerful defensive rebounder; plus shot blocker for power forward
Analysis
A steady progression turned Johnson from little-used freshman at North Carolina into star as a senior, when he earned consensus All-America First Team honors and nearly won a national championship. Taken 25th overall by the Clippers, Johnson again figures to start slowly with several veterans ahead of him on the frontcourt depth chart.
Johnson did much of his college damage in the post, rarely beasting his way to the rim but showing nice touch around the basket. He was also effective as a cutter and with putbacks, which figure to be a larger part of his offense in the NBA. Johnson can finish lobs and figures to eventually become a capable roll man as he grasps the nuances of the pick-and-roll game. Johnson will make the midrange jumper and shot an impressive 78.3 percent on free throws as a senior, though he should be careful with putting the ball on the ground against NBA defenses.
Continuing to develop stretch ability is probably imperative for Johnson because he's not quite big enough to defend NBA centers or protect the rim in that role. As a power forward, however, Johnson can contribute weak-side help as a shot blocker in addition to clearing the defensive glass.
Diamond Stone
Position: Center
Experience: Rookie
Age: 19
Scouting report
+ Raw one-and-done center with post scoring potential
+ Comfortable in pick-and-pop game; good free throw shooter
+ Solid shot blocker but poor defensive rebounder
Analysis
The Clippers traded down from No. 33 in the second round (acquired via previous trade) to No. 39 and 40, nabbing Stone and French guard David Michineau, who will remain overseas. Rated the No. 6 overall prep prospect by ESPN's Recruiting Nation entering Maryland, Stone came off the bench as a freshman before declaring for the draft and will be something of a project for the Clippers. In time, Stone may be a threat as a post scorer. He shot 45.7 percent on post-up plays in college, per Synergy Sports tracking, good for a freshman.
Stone's touch extends to midrange -- his free throw percentage was an impressive 76.1 percent -- and the Terrapins frequently used him in pick-and-pops. Stone's decision making will have to improve after he committed more than three times as many turnovers as he had assists, and Stone will also need to add strength. He got pushed around on the defensive glass (despite being a fine offensive rebounder) but showed promise as a shot blocker.