Ty Lue's New Starting Lineup Should Be Here to Stay

The Los Angeles Clippers got back on track on Sunday evening as they defeated the Kings in Sacramento to improve to 40-38 for the season. Following back-to-back losses that made the Clippers' playoff path significantly harder, LA had no choice but to take care of business against the worst team in the Western Conference. Head coach Ty Lue clearly felt the same way as he tinkered with the starting lineup. It immediately paid dividends, and the Clippers should stick with it going forward.

Lue moved John Collins to the bench and started Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., and Brook Lopez next to his star duo of Darius Garland and Kawhi Leonard. This meant that the Clippers were smaller but more versatile in the starting lineup. Dunn and Jones together made the Clippers more switchable and mobile on defense. Offensively, they spaced the floor for Leonard and Garland to create shots.

John Collins Benefitted the Most from Clippers' Lineup Change

More importantly, however, this new lineup unlocked Collins. The veteran power forward had all he could eat off the bench, taking a season-high 20 shots in only 24 minutes of action. He made nine of his field goal attempts on his way to matching his season-high 25 points, while adding four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

When playing most of his minutes next to Garland and Leonard, Collins' usage rate is understandably minimized. He is more used as a screen-setter and a floor-spacer as an off-ball threat. He gets to finish some pick-and-rolls and take open shots, but he doesn't get to explore the studio space like he was allowed to earlier in his career in Atlanta. Playing him more on second units allows Collins to create and take more shots, both in transition and in the half-court.

Moreover, Dunn makes more sense as a starter. His best role is as a defensive stopper. He is one of the best guard defenders in the league, and putting him on the best backcourt creator on the team is the best use for him. Instead of coming off the bench and playing more of his minutes against second units, Dunn needs to spend more time against the other team's best offensive players.

The Garland-Dunn-Leonard-Jones-Lopez lineup has played a total of 143 possessions this season, per Cleaning the Glass. This unit has obliterated the opposition so far and possesses a +17.3 net rating. The 127.3 offensive rating for this group would rank as the best offense in the league by a mile.
This is obviously a small sample, but there are clearly promising signs.

Lue has made a name for himself as a flexible coach. He has been changing the starting lineup throughout the season to best evaluate his changing roster. This should continue until the Clippers' season is over, but it's safe to assume that the starting lineup against the Kings should be here to stay for the time being.