Bennedict Mathurin Adds to Big Clippers Problem Instead of Solving It

The Los Angeles Clippers lost a massive advantage last week by losing two games in a row to fall to ninth place in the Western Conference. With only five games left in the regular season, the Clippers no longer have the inside track to make the playoffs, especially now that their weaknesses have been made obvious in back-to-back losses. One of their biggest weaknesses is shooting, and that doesn't look like it will get resolved any time soon.

Kawhi Leonard and Darius Garland are the two best shooters on the Clippers. While it's great that your two best players can shoot the ball off-the-dribble or off-the-catch, it's not ideal that your off-ball players can't knock down the open jumpers created by your stars. In an ideal team construction, the role players space the floor for your primary creators thanks to their elite shooting. The Clippers lack those types of players.

Bennedict Mathurin's Shooting Is Becoming a Big Problem for Clippers

A big reason why is Bennedict Mathurin. The former Pacers shooting guard has never been an elite shooter, but he could at least be trusted to make wide-open shots. Since arriving in LA, however, Mathurin has seemingly forgotten how to shoot.

As a Clipper, Mathurin is shooting 20.3% from three (14/69). The worst part is, he has lost his confidence from downtown. He is not looking for his three-point shot as he attempted a total of two threes and made none in his last two games. In fact, since he came back from his four-game toe injury absence, he has attempted only nine threes in 132 minutes of action across five games. That is an extremely low three-point attempt rate for any perimeter player, let alone one that is supposed to be a dynamic scorer.

The Clippers were 5/27 from downtown in the disappointing loss to the Spurs on Thursday night. Players not named Kawhi Leonard made only one three-pointer. This was not a one-off thing, either. The Clippers rank in the bottom ten of the league in both three-point attempts and makes. Since the February 5 trade deadline, the Clippers have fallen all the way down to 26th in the league in three-point shot frequency, per Cleaning the Glass.

One would think that replacing Ivica Zubac with Brook Lopez would have resulted in more threes for the Clippers. But, due to Mathurin's inability and unwillingness to make threes, the Clippers are struggling to space the floor, making it harder on Leonard and Garland.

If this trend holds and Mathurin becomes more of a ball-dominant non-shooter, the Clippers will have a problem on their hands. Not only because this will cap their offensive ceiling, but also because they have to make an extension decision on the 23-year-old in the offseason.