Without their backcourt of the previous four seasons, the Clippers were one of five teams that ranked in the bottom 10 in both 3-point percentage (23rd) and the percentage of shots that came from 3-point range (23rd) last season. But they made up for the losses on the perimeter by improving in the paint.

The Clippers went from ranking 28th in the percentage of their shots that came from the paint (42 percent) in 2016-17 to first (55 percent) last season. The jump (13 percent) was more than double that of any other team. The Clippers led the league with 60.5 points per game in the restricted area (41.5) or on free throws (19.0).

The bigs led the way. LA scored 1.27 points per possession, the best mark in the league, on pick-and-roll roll-man possessions, with Montrezl Harrell (1.40) and DeAndre Jordan (1.25) ranking second and fifth, respectively, among 63 individuals with at last 100 roll-man possessions. There may be seven-footers all over the league stepping out beyond the arc, but the Clippers' pair proved that you don't need to shoot 3-pointers to be an effective offensive center.

Third on the Clippers in total points in the paint was Lou Williams. While playing a career-high 2,589 minutes, the reigning Kia Sixth Man of the Year also set a career high for points in the paint per 36 minutes (for the second straight season).

Williams often carried the Clippers offensively. They scored 12.9 more points per 100 possessions with him on the floor (111.2) than they did with him on the bench (98.3). That differential was even bigger (15.6 points per 100 possessions) after the Griffin trade.

Tobias Harris averaged 19.3 points per game (pretty efficiently) in his 32 games arriving from Detroit, and the Clippers seemingly have the deepest guard rotation in the league. But if they're going to keep their top-10-offense streak going, they may be counting on Williams more than they did last season.

Jordan has moved to Dallas and has been replaced by Marcin Gortat. The Clippers' new center remains one of the best screeners in the league, but among those 63 players with at last 100 roll-man possessions, Gortat ranked 62nd at 0.88 points scored per possession.

Williams just had the best season of his career, and at the age of 32, he may have to pull off a repeat performance to keep the Clippers competitive in the Western Conference.

Note: Stats marked with an * below are based on possession estimates. All other stats are based on true possession counts.

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