Clippers may be dealing with an effort issue amid struggles

It feels like an effort issue. The Clippers have been bad on defense, with a miserable 120 defensive rating. But in the first half, that's a less awful 117.6. In the second half, it's 123.5, the second-worst mark in the league. It indicates that, even with a roster loaded with experienced, battle-tested veterans, the Clippers are all too willing to throw in the towel.

Clippers' statistics suggest they should win more

To be clear, the Clippers' stats aren't good. But they were 18th in field-goal percentage in November, 15th in three-point percentage and third in free-throw percentage. Where they're really bad is in metrics involving effort and teamwork. They had the NBA's fewest assists last month, were third-worst in rebounding and had nearly twice as many turnovers (15.6 per game) as steals (7.9).

They had the No. 18 offense and the No. 27 defense, which are below average, but still shouldn't result in a 2-14 record since Halloween. James Harden can't be faulted, as he averaged 29.8 points and 8.5 assists in November, but at times, he seems like the only motivated Clipper. 40-year-old Chris Paul announced his retirement last week amid limited playing time, but it seems like he can't be worse than what his non-40-year-old teammates are delivering.

The Clippers have been on the skids for a month. Maybe giving the regulars nearly the full second half to rest will help arrest the slide, but it feels like Lue hasn't noticed that giving up easily is exactly what his team is already doing.