Clippers Have 1 Big Strength and 1 Big Weakness Following the Max Strus Trade

The Los Angeles Clippers continue adding to their roster. Even as they await the resolution of the Kawhi Leonard investigation, the Clippers have been busy building their roster for next season and beyond.

Their latest addition, Max Strus, will be a valuable contributor on both ends of the floor. The 30-year-old veteran missed most of last season, but upon his return towards the end of the year, he immediately became a crucial two-way player for the Cavs. He is a starting-caliber shooting guard who has few weaknesses in his game, and he will bring a ton of experience to this new-look Clippers team.

Now that the Clippers added another solid role player to their already deep rotation, where does this leave them? What's their biggest strength, and what is the most important weakness that they have to address before the season?

Strength: Shooting

With the addition of Strus, the Clippers will have an abundance of shooting. LA will almost certainly have five shooters in their starting lineup. This will allow them to play five-out spacing, which can help them punch above their weight offensively.

Rui Hachimura is a clear upgrade over John Collins in terms of shooting. Keaton Wagler projects to be a high-level shooter in the NBA. Strus has been a proven marksman for many years, both in terms of volume and accuracy. Darius Garland is an elite off-the-dribble shooter, and Brook Lopez is one of the better floor-spacing centers in the league.

Add Gradey Dick and Bradley Beal off the bench, and the Clippers will always have a ton of shooting on the floor.

In fact, in the projected rotation to start the season, the Clippers only have a non-shooter in the backup center spot, whether it's Yanic Konan Niederhauser or Isaiah Jackson. In today's NBA, this is an excellent advantage to have.

Weakness: Size & Physicality

Strus is a good defender. He can guard multiple positions and plays with intensity and physicality. He will help the Clippers' point-of-attack and perimeter defense.

But he is still a six-foot-five shooting guard who doesn't have elite athletic or physical tools. He isn't going to solve the Clippers' big size and physicality problem.

Over the last six months, the Clippers lost Kawhi Leonard, John Collins, and Ivica Zubac. They replaced that frontcourt trio with Brandon Ingram and Rui Hachimura. That is a significant downgrade in terms of size and physicality. Ingram and Hachimura don't play through much contact. They are finesse players who like to get to their spots and rise up for jump shots.

Even the James Harden-for-Darius Garland swap made the Clippers a smaller, less physical team. There is a reason the Clippers were one of the worst-rebounding teams in the league last season, especially after the trade deadline.

This is unlikely to change for the new-look Clippers. Physical teams that have a lot of size, length, and strength will cause a lot of problems for the Clippers. There will be times when the Clippers will be overwhelmed and run out of the gym.

Unless we see another significant trade between now and October, the Clippers will have a glaring weakness to start the season.

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