Rowan Kavner 
Digital Content Coordinator
The Clippers went from losing one of their superstars for half the season, to persevering shorthanded to get home court in the first round, to losing two stars in a span of seconds, to nearly coming back and sending the first round to a Game 7 before ultimately watching the season end in Game 6 in Portland.
From the start of free agency, the 2015-16 season began with plenty of drama and liveliness and ended the same, leaving many to wonder how far the Clippers could’ve gone had Chris Paul and Blake Griffin not sustained significant injuries midway through their first-round series against the Trail Blazers.
Final Record: 53-29
Offensive Rating: 106.5 (No. 6 in NBA)
Defensive Rating: 100.9 (No. 6 in NBA)
Net Rating: 5.5 (No. 5 in NBA)
Points Per Game: 104.5 (No. 7 in NBA)
Points Allowed Per Game: 100.2 (No. 7 in NBA)
Clippers’ Top Team Stats
- Along with the Spurs, became one of only two teams in the league with at least 50 wins each of the past four seasons
- Became one of four teams with an active streak of five or more consecutive playoff appearances
- One of just three teams, along with the Spurs and Warriors, to finish in the top six in offensive rating, defensive rating and net rating
- Made a sizeable stride defensively, holding opponents to a franchise-low 43.4 percent shooting
- Bench went from No. 22 in scoring and No. 28 in points allowed in 2014-15 to No. 7 in points scored and No. 12 in points allowed in 2015-16
- Doc Rivers recorded his 750th career victory this season, becoming just the 16th head coach ever to reach the mark
Star Power
- Chris Paul – Second in NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.8) … Third in steals per game (2.1) … Fourth in assists per game (10) and free-throw percentage (89.5) … Fifth in player efficiency rating (26.2) … Jumped to No. 11 on all-time assists leaderboard (7,688) and No. 18 on all-time steals leaderboard (1,793)
- DeAndre Jordan – Shot above 70 percent in back-to-back years, becoming the first qualifying player ever with multiple seasons shooting at least 70 percent, and led the league with a 70.3 percent mark from the floor … Only player this season (min. 1,800 minutes) to rank in the top five in offensive rating, defensive rating and net rating … Second in NBA in rebounding (1,059) and blocks (177)
- Blake Griffin – Missed 47 games, but averaged 21.4 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists in 35 regular season games; along with Kevin Durant, only player this season to average at least 21 points, eight rebounds and four assists per game … Led Clippers in scoring in more than half his games … Set season highs with 40 points and 18 made field goals in November against the Jazz … Recorded his 1,500th career assist in November against the Warriors, becoming the sixth fastest player in NBA history to record at least 8,000 points, 3,500 rebounds and 1,500 assists
- J.J. Redick – Made 200 three-pointers for the second straight season, tying the franchise record he set last year and finishing eighth in the league … Shot a franchise-record, career-best and NBA-leading 47.5 percent from 3-point range, the second-highest single-season mark in NBA history among players who made at least 200 3-pointers in a season … Third in NBA in true shooting percentage (63.2) … Eighth in free-throw percentage (88.8)
- Jamal Crawford – Became the first player ever to win a third Kia Sixth Man of the Year award; The honor was his second since joining the Clippers … No. 2 in NBA in free-throw percentage (90.4) … Most games with at least 15 points off the bench and most points per game in the NBA among players with three or fewer starts from Dec. 25 to the end of the year … Led the Clippers in fourth-quarter scoring … Moved past Chauncey Billups into No. 7 all-time in 3-pointers … Passed Bob Cousy for No. 89 on NBA’s all-time scoring list
Best Moment
- Clippers’ 20-point Game 1 win vs Portland – Everything about it seemed convincing; the 115 points scored; Chris Paul’s 28 points and 11 assists; J.J. Redick’s 17 points despite a hurt heel; DeAndre Jordan’s 18 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks; and, of course, Blake Griffin’s barrage of dunks on his way to 19 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Nothing could’ve predicted a few games later, Griffin would be out for the rest of the postseason, Paul would be out for the foreseeable future and Redick’s heel would inhibit him further.
Most Memorable Game
- April 8 OT win in Utah – On paper, this wasn’t a game the Clippers were supposed to win. They rested Paul, Griffin, Jordan and Redick and went to face a Utah team April 8 fighting for a playoff spot. Yet, with Cole Aldrich’s tip-in to send the game to overtime and Crawford’s game-winning 3-pointer with less than a second left, the Clippers’ group of mostly backups found a way to prevail. Aldrich posted 21 points, 18 rebounds and five steals, becoming the only player during the 2015-16 season to post such a line, while Crawford added 30 points.
Biggest Setback
- Griffin missed half the regular season with a torn left quad tendon, yet the Clippers still managed to stay afloat in the regular season, finishing fourth in the West. Unfortunately, the injury popped back up midway through the first round, as he aggravated the quad seconds after Paul fractured his third metacarpal in his shooting hand in Game 4.
What They Need
- The Clippers had to fill out their roster in 2015-16 with little cap room, and it’ll be much of the same for the upcoming season. That means they’ll need to find an assortment of backup help, particularly at point guard, wing and center. Aldrich, Austin Rivers and Wesley Johnson each have player options and could opt out. Jeff Green and Pablo Prigioni are free agents, though the Clippers have Bird Rights allowing them to go over the cap to try to bring back Green, Rivers and Jamal Crawford. Finding help at an affordable cost at point guard, small forward and center will be both challenging and crucial going forward.