Doc Rivers isn't comfortable with Lance Stephenson closing games yet

Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers has been impressed with the way starting small forward Lance Stephenson has played this season.

But while Stephenson has fit in nicely with the other four starters -- Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan and J.J. Redick -- he hasn't closed games with them. That honor has gone to Paul Pierce, Jamal Crawford and/or Austin Rivers. For Doc Rivers, it comes down to his trust for Stephenson, or lack thereof.

"It’s matter of trust. It’s a matter of what you see and how guys are playing," Doc Rivers told the Los Angeles Times. "Austin (Rivers) is in that same group because of his defense. There’ll be times when he’s in the games at the end. There’ll be times it’ll be Lance because of his strength and abilities.

"What I like is we have four or five guys who could be in down the stretch."

Nonetheless, Doc Rivers remains optimistic about Stephenson's play and can see his palpable effort. Stephenson may be the team's best perimeter defender outside of Paul, so it makes sense that he'll probably get some crunch-time run in the future.

"He’s been great. He’s just still learning our culture. He’s learning our ways, getting better at it," Doc Rivers said. "What I like most about him, again, is he’s trying to get it right every time. That doesn’t mean he gets it right every time, but from a coach’s perspective, the guy, the fact that he’s trying to every time and he’s willing to buy in, is just great for us."