The Clippers are currently trotting out lineups more reminiscent of 76ers April rotations than anything. They definitely don’t resemble anything a real NBA team with aspirations of winning games would be trying. Injuries suck, is the lesson here. I’m counting 3 legit players that were available tonight: Lou Williams, DeAndre Jordan, Montrezl Harrell and Wesley Johnson. Those last two count for .5 of a legit player each. Add another .5 if you think Sam Dekker is really good.
Jawun Evans played 40 minutes tonight. Such is the direness of the Clippers’ situation. And, you know what, he didn’t look all that bad! He was even good for stretches! His pestering defense was fun to see, culminating in a totally humiliating moment for John Wall as he got his pocket picked in the backcourt and couldn’t stop the resulting layup. If it was a better player doing the cookie-stealing, we’d never hear (or see) the end of it, but as it’s just some no-name 2nd-round rookie on one of the worst teams in the league, it’ll probably go unnoticed. A shame, but that’s the reality of the NBA.
Evans also did some stuff on offense, taking 18 shots (?????) and racking up 6 assists. An all-around game for this dude? Why the heck not? This season is getting crazy way faster than I anticipated. This is the first I’ve really seen of him, and I’m damn impressed. Now I just have to decide if 10 points apiece for Jamil Wilson and CJ Williams are highlight-worthy. I’m tempted.