One of the interesting features of the Clippers defense in 2019-20 was that the team used more zone defense than in previous seasons. Despite having two of the best isolation defenders in the league, Doc Rivers thought it was helpful for the team to have a curveball in its defensive repertoire to throw opponents off their rhythm. What resulted was a hybrid zone that could morph back to man-to-man within the same possession, something Rivers called a “flex zone”.
Even though Rivers is gone, the Clippers still have much of the same personnel, and Ty Lue intends to keep the zone as an option for this year’s squad.