NBA's King of Talking

Chapter 752 Gewei's First Release

On October 1st, the Clippers played their first preseason game of the season.

The Clippers' first preseason game was at home in Intuit Dome against Maccabi Ranana.

The Clippers' starting lineup for this season, which has been the focus of much attention, will also be revealed in this game.

The Clippers' starting four are actually set: point guard Jafi, shooting guard Bridges, small forward Paul George, and center Hartenstein. The only uncertainty is the power forward position—who will start. With Grant and Kelly leaving, no one can predict who the Clippers will use at power forward next season.

Are they going to play a twin-tower lineup next season, with Aldama starting at power forward? If that's the case, then the Clippers' starting lineup next season will be incredibly tall, with two 7-footers in the paint and the other three players all over 2 meters tall. It's practically a big lineup for the small-ball era!

However, this lineup has a drawback: the interior players are too bulky. Even though Hartenstein and Aldama are not bulky interior players, many teams now use the old small forward position at power forward, and it is popular to play with a single interior player. Aldama will have a hard time keeping up with those forwards who are around 2 meters tall.

If Aldama doesn't play, who will the Clippers start? Grant Williams? Jaden McDaniels? Or will they start rookie Ethan?

Based on the Clippers' past practices, it's unlikely that rookie Ethan will start immediately. He will most likely compete for a rotation spot, and the starting position is more likely to go to Grant Williams or Jaden McDaniels.

Of course, there's also the possibility of starting Brunson directly, with Jia Fei returning to the shooting guard position and Paul George playing power forward. However, this would mean George would have to shoulder some of the responsibility for rebounding and positioning in the paint, which would be a significant burden on his injury-prone body. On the other hand, having Bridges play power forward might not be as effective due to his weight; it could actually be a case of compensating for his weaknesses.

In a previous interview, Clippers head coach Mike Budenholzer revealed that the Clippers will continue to use some of the successful experiences from last season in the new season, including the roster and tactics.

It's clear that Brunson is less likely to start.

That night, the mystery was finally solved!

The Clippers' starting lineup consists of Jia Fei, Bridges, Paul George, Grant Williams, and Hartenstein.

Grant Williams starts!

Grant Williams is 24 years old and was selected by the Clippers in the first round of the 2019 NBA draft. He is 198cm tall and weighs 108kg, and his appearance is very similar to that of sneaker icon P.J. Tucker.

格兰特·威廉姆斯大学时期效力于田纳西大学，2018-19赛季NCAA作为田纳西大学球员出场37次，场均出战31.9分钟，得到18.8分、7.5篮板、3.2助攻、1.1抢断和1.5盖帽。

This is his fourth season with the Clippers, and in the past three seasons, he hasn't had much playing time or opportunities. However, in those limited appearances, he has showcased some of his qualities, which led the team to decide to make him their starting power forward for the new season.

Grant Williams is a stocky forward with solid defense. He's strong and quick on his feet. Although he's only 198cm tall, he has a low center of gravity and is willing to engage in physical contact, even able to defend opposing centers in the low post. In terms of defensive endurance, he's better than the Clippers' previous starting power forward, Grant.

As a defensive forward, his defensive effectiveness is comparable to that of the Suns' power forward Jae Crowder. He is capable of guarding larger forwards, such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Marc Jacobs, and Zion Williamson.

Offensively, Grant Williams possesses a reliable three-point shot, particularly from the corner, making him well-suited for spacing and serving as a scoring option. He's more dependable than Grant and Lee Kyle when it comes to open three-pointers.

His weakness is that his ball-handling ability on offense is average; he doesn't have much ball-handling offensive ability.

However, Grant Williams' weaknesses are perfectly acceptable to the Clippers; they don't necessarily need him to have outstanding ball-handling offensive skills. In fact, Grant's ball-handling offensive abilities are somewhat wasted on the Clippers, as the team simply doesn't give him that much ball possession.

The Clippers' starting lineup already had all the ball possession shared by Jia Fei and Paul George, and the second unit's ball possession was mainly in Brunson's hands. The rest of the team no longer needed players who could handle a lot of ball possession.

It's worth mentioning that Grant Williams, who plays power forward, is actually the shortest player in the Clippers' starting lineup, which is quite unusual...

One of the main characteristics of the preseason is that most teams start with the same lineup as they did in the regular season. Nobody plays very seriously because the result of the game doesn't mean much.

The Clippers used a 10-man rotation in the first half of this game. It is unknown whether they will continue with this rotation in the regular season. Their second unit consists of five players: Brunson, Hart, Bruce Brown, Jaden McDaniels, and Aldama.

The second unit is obviously shorter, but its speed, defense, and toughness remain unchanged. These players are all young and have huge potential for improvement.

Rookie Ethan failed to make the regular rotation, but after the game, Clippers head coach Mike Budenholzer said that the team's second unit is not yet fully determined and will be adjusted according to the players' condition and other circumstances, which gives other young players a chance.

The current competitive atmosphere within the Clippers is really good, and this healthy competition is definitely beneficial for the team.

In the four preseason games, Jia Fei played a total of less than 50 minutes.

The Clippers coaching staff strictly controlled his playing time, not wanting him to expend any energy in preseason games that were irrelevant to the team's record. This team doesn't need to rush into cohesion; the main rotation players have been playing together for several seasons.

The team's young players received a lot of playing time, which gave them ample opportunity to develop.

Before we knew it, it was October 21st, the NBA season opener.

The 2022-23 NBA season will open with two games: a Clippers vs. Lakers crosstown derby and a Bucks vs. Celtics Eastern Conference Finals showdown.

Since forming the Big Three, the Lakers have gained nothing. Kawhi Leonard frequently takes rest, and long absences have become the norm. Moreover, you never know when he will get injured again. Ever since Zaza Paco's foul, he has become a ticking time bomb. He plays very well, but he just doesn't play.

Anthony Davis is the Lakers' second most injury-prone player. His legs are really fragile, and he's prone to injury. But there are some reasons for his injuries. When Kawhi Leonard isn't playing, the team's defense relies entirely on him. After all, you can only tell his age when he's on a fast break; he's often seen with his hands on his hips on defense.