INGLEWOOD, Calif — Sometimes you need that uncomfortable moment to be brought to reality that there is a serious problem that needs to be addressed.

The Miami Heat came into Los Angeles and defeated the LA Clippers 109-108. This was the welcome back game for former Clippers Guard Norman Powell who finished the game with 21 points, which put the Heat at 4-2 in the season.

With the loss, the Clippers on the other hand drop to .500, and have another game vs the Thunder tomorrow. In the loss, the Clippers have some glaring holes.

Offensive scheming

The Clippers rank 26th in the NBA right now in ppg. They are 112.5 ppg. That ranking is worse than what they were last season when they were deemed as a defensive team and lacked offensive firepower. The attempt to revamp the roster, adding offensive threats like John Collins and Bradley Beal, was to put the Clippers better off offensively. Unfortunately, that plan has failed by the waste side, but it is more geared to the style of play over the quality of players.  

Last season, Beal averaged 17 ppg with the Phoenix Suns as a third option behind Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. Collins, similar to Beal, had a very good scoring output of 19.8 ppg last season with the Utah Jazz. These two can score the basketball. How does a team add more versatile offensive firepower and still struggle to produce points? Look no further than the last play of the game, where Kawhi Leonard took the last shot. 

This is a shot that a lot of the great players like Leonard should take. In watching, the entire game though much of the Clippers’ offense lacks ball movement. As a result the offense becomes a stagnant and predictable where it forces even elite players like Leonard and Harden to make something out of nothing. This is an unacceptable problem to have for a team with this amount of offensive talent.

What is the hierarchy?

When retooling a roster, there comes an approach to learning how to play together. Clippers head coach has echoed that it will take him some time to figure out rotations and which lineups work. In a competitive Western conference, falling in holes and giving up games against less talented teams like the Heat without their lead guard Tyler Herro is a problem. 

One of the most glaring issues is the declining impact of Ivica Zubac, who last season made the All-NBA defensive second team and was averaging 16.8 ppg and 12.6 rpg. In the first six games of the season, Zubac’s numbers are down averaging 15.8 ppg and 8.6 rpg. Also, his attempts per game are down because of the addition of players this season.  

Leonard, Harden, Zubac, and Beal are all players that have the ability to have strong scoring options, but there is only one basketball. So, what do you do? Do you bring Beal off the bench for him to get more scoring opportunities without taking away scoring opportunities from Zubac? Does Harden become more like a point guard and feed Beal the basketball?