Doc Rivers says Clippers are purposely resting starters for playoffs
Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers has received some flak in the press and social media for his insistence on playing all-bench lineups and not staggering his stars' minutes this season.
But according to Rivers, there is indeed a method to his madness: He's preparing his players for a deep postseason run, and doesn't want to overexert his starters in the regular season, according to the Los Angeles Times:
"There's a method to our madness," Doc Rivers said, "and our thought is at the end of the year, hopefully we're fresher."
The minutes across the top of the Clippers' food chain are all down.
J.J. Redick has dropped almost four minutes to 27.0 minutes per game, while Chris Paul (34.8 to 32.0 per game) and DeAndre Jordan (34.4 to 32.7) have also had small yet noticeable dips in their playing time. Blake Griffin's minutes have roughly stayed the same (going from 35.2 to 34.9 per game), and he (24th) and Jordan (47th) are the only Clippers in the league's top-50 leaderboard.
On the bench, however, playing time is increasing left and right. Jamal Crawford (25.0 minutes) and Austin Rivers (21.9) lead the way, as seven reserves are averaging at least 14 minutes per game.
In the short term, that game plan hurts the Clippers. Only three bench players -- Wesley Johnson (+3.0), Cole Aldrich (+1.5) and Crawford (+0.2) -- have positive net ratings, according to NBA.com/Stats. The bench just hasn't been particularly good this season.
But it could have long-term benefits.
By playing so many minutes together, the bench is cultivating chemistry and reps. If, for whatever reason, they are forced to play in a high-pressure situation, they are less likely to make a blunder than if they were constantly separated or mixed in with the starters. It's not the prettiest bunch, but they're slowly starting to play better with Josh Smith out of the rotation.
With that said, it's clear that preserving the starters until the postseason -- even if it's only slightly -- is paramount. The Clippers had two decent bench players last season, and paid the price by running out of gas in the playoffs.
Doc Rivers thinks there's a chance Paul injured himself in Game 7 of the first round against the San Antonio Spurs because of how many minutes he played. To prevent that, Doc Rivers believes the team needed to make some changes and cut back the starters' minutes.
Paul didn't say if he agreed with the assessment of his injury, but he's on board with Rivers' plan, and it seems like the rest of the team is, too:
"The fresher you can be once you get to the playoffs," Paul said, "it's always a plus."
The Clippers are trading short-term wins for their long-term goal of winning a championship. It might cost them a seed or two, but they're going to make the playoffs regardless, and the payoff might be worth it.