Lawrence Frank Shares 3 Areas Clippers Need to Improve in the Offseason

Clippers GM reveals three on-court priorities for LA in the offseason.

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

After an up-and-down campaign with a ton of off-court drama and unexpected player movement, the Los Angeles Clippers failed to make the playoffs. Now, the offseason is here for the Clippers, and the front office and fans alike have turned their attention to next season.

On Friday, the lead decision-maker for Clippers basketball, Lawrence Frank, had his end-of-season press conference. He addressed the futures of Kawhi Leonard and Ty Lue, and what he is hoping to build in LA going forward. The desire to keep the core together was clear, but Frank also hinted at the possibility of serious upgrades to the roster. Using their cap space and draft capital, the Clippers are expected to be active on the market to bring in quality players around Leonard and Darius Garland.

When asked about what types of upgrades the Clippers will be looking for, Frank gave a list of three areas in need of improvement, per The Athletic's Law Murray.

Lawrence Frank when I asked him for areas of personnel improvement, in order that he mentioned:

1. Rebounding
2. (secondary) ball handling/passing
3. Shooting

— Law Murray 🪺 (@LawMurrayTheNU) April 17, 2026

Rebounding Is an Obvious Offseason Need for the Clippers

Frank's list understandably began with rebounding, followed by ball-handling, passing, and shooting.

The Clippers had a glaring weakness on the interior, especially after the trade deadline. Following Ivica Zubac's departure, the Clippers were depleted in the center rotation, most notably in terms of rebounding. LA finished the season 23rd in offensive rebounding rate and 25th in defensive rebounding rate. Both of these rankings were lower after the February 5 trade deadline.

Brook Lopez has the size and the length, but has always been a poor rebounder. He lacks the mobility and athleticism to battle opposing big men. Perhaps Yanic Konan Niederhauser's return next season will help on that front, but the Clippers clearly need more depth and quality at center, regardless of what happens with Lopez's team option.

Secondary ball-handling and passing are also clear needs. The Clippers didn't have a reliable backup point guard behind Garland. Kris Dunn and Kobe Sanders took on that role, but neither player has traditional point guard skills. An offense-first guard who can run some pick-and-roll and put his teammates in positions to succeed when Garland is on the bench would do wonders for this team.

Shooting was an under-the-radar need for this team last season. In terms of accuracy, the Clippers were a solid three-point shooting team. Garland, Nicolas Batum, Kobe Sanders, and John Collins all shot over 40% from downtown. The problem was the volume. Besides Garland and Leonard, the Clippers don't have high-volume three-point shooters.

Plus, having your two best players also be your best shooters is not an ideal winning formula. The Clippers need to put as much elite shooting as possible around their two stars so that they can work with optimal spacing rather than trying to generate their own off-the-dribble threes.

Filling these needs is easier said than done. Fortunately, the Clippers have the necessary financial flexibility and assets to make sweeping changes to the roster. How many of these weaknesses the Clippers will be able to fix between now and the start of next season will determine how far they can go in the 2026-27 campaign.