There’s something strange and fascinating going on in Los Angeles Clippers Land. If you’ve looked at the box scores of the team’s games over the last couple of weeks then you’ve seen that several of the team’s best players have been playing less than 30 minutes per game. If you’ve actually watched the games then you know it has been common for several of the starters to sit for all of the fourth quarter or the majority of it. Taking a quick glance at the Clippers’ stats shows that Chris Paul is averaging 32.8 minutes per game, Blake Griffin is averaging 32.4, and DeAndre Jordan is averaging 25.7. According to Basketball Reference, their respective averages were 36.4, 36.2, and 27.2 minutes per game for the 2011-2012 season. If the Clippers continue to win and coach Vinny Del Negro continues to sit his starters during the fourth quarter, the gap between last year’s numbers and this year’s will get even bigger.
For teams with older superstars (hello San Antonio Spurs), this practice is common. Older legs need more rest. While Paul’s surgically reconstructed knees need to be managed carefully, it’s highly unusual for two young, blossoming stars like Griffin and Jordan to be restricted. This is a testament to how well the Clippers have been playing and the uncommon roster depth the team enjoys. Limiting the starters’ minutes could help avoid injuries and limit the usual wear-and-tear of the NBA season. Come playoff time, the Clippers could very well be the freshest team in the playoffs.
In the decades that I’ve watched NBA basketball, I’ve never seen anything like this. I’ve never seen a team give so much rest to three young — two very young — starters this often and this early in the season. It’s a fascinating tactic and I’m looking forward to seeing if it pays dividends in the playoffs.
Do any of you recall any teams that were so liberal about resting young players this early? Do you recall a team resting its starters for most of the fourth quarter for long stretches of games?
