Here’s The Players That The Clippers Should Depend On In The Playoffs
Mar 2, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio (9) looks to pass around Los Angeles Clippers forward Spencer Hawes (10) in the first quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports
I’ll start off by saying that I like Spencer Hawes a lot. A pick-and-pop big-man who can shoot from the outside; Hawes makes for a useful tool in any offense, but the truth is: Hawes just isn’t good enough to make up for his defensive shortcomings. He possesses footwork that will fool on-lookers into thinking he’s playing underwater, and reaction speeds resembling those of a dead cat when guarding the ball.
His terrible on and off-ball defense might be excusable if he were to be a presence at the rim from time to time: he is not. Averaging 0.7 blocks per-game this season, Hawes is about as disruptive defensively as a fan yelling obscene things at free-throw shooters.
One more knock on his defense; Hawes is also quite inept when faced with a back-to-the-basket type of offensive player, as he tends to regularly get bullied all the way down to the basket, allowing his man to drop in an easily-obtained basket.
Hawes, much like Crawford, is an offensive luxury, but on a team with plenty of shortcomings on defense, he’s simply a luxury the Clippers can’t afford to play big minutes in the playoffs.
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