Clippers have just one spot in question with starting five
Blake Griffin's spot in the Clippers' starting five isn't up for debate. Yet that didn't stop him from giving maximum effort in the team's preseason opener against Golden State on Tuesday.
It was a double-double kind of night for Griffin, who finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds, both game highs in the Clippers' 112-94 loss. His spot is secure. He knows it.
Then again, when you look up and down the Clippers' starting lineup, there aren't many question marks. The 1, the 2, the 4, and the 5 are all solidified.
It's the 3-spot, or small forward position, that will have to get sorted out during this preseason.
It's not a position that the Clippers are going to require a ton of scoring from. They have enough of that throughout the starting five. First and foremost, being able to defend is going to be the key component of that position, in addition to rebounding and intangibles like finding the open man and taking care of the basketball.
Entering Tuesday night's game, head coach Doc Rivers said he would try different guys at small forward with both the first and second units. And he cashed in on his promise.
Matt Barnes started at small forward. Newly acquired Chris Douglas-Roberts came in with the second unit.
To start the second half, it was the reverse of that: Douglas-Roberts with the first unit and Barnes with the second unit.
Barnes, 34 and a Clipper for the past two seasons, finished with four points, two rebounds and a steal in 21 minutes. He's a player Rivers knows is comfortable starting or coming off the bench.
"I just go out there and play," Barnes said. "I don't worry about shots. I don't worry about anything but playing hard and trying to help the team win whatever capacity that is, whether that's starting or coming off the bench. It doesn't really matter to me."
Douglas-Roberts, 27, had two points, two assists and a steal in his Clippers debut. He also looked very 80s-like rocking short shorts and goggles. Rivers commended his activity.
"CDR, he creates activity and I don't think that's all bad and I think he's another ballhandler," Rivers said. "He's not a point guard but he can handle the ball."
Considering it was his first night with a new team, Douglas-Roberts said he would give himself a grade of "B-minus." He's sure as the season progresses he will be a contributor for the team.
"I just know I'm not going to bring any liabilities to the floor," he said. "I don't believe in that. Whatever you need me to do on the basketball floor, I feel I'm capable of doing it, whatever group I'm (with) out there.
"What I do know is I will be a part of this team and I will help this team in a big way. I know that."
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Second-year man Reggie Bullock and Australian Joe Ingles also figure into the small forward equation this preseason.
"They're all going to play and I'm just looking for the right combination," Rivers said.