Mo Williams was just what the Clippers needed

On any given night, Baron Davis can be a better player than Mo Williams. Davis, when he is on, can be one of the more dynamic point guards in the league. Davis sees the court and sets up teammates in a way Williams does not.

But Williams — the more consistent scorer — is a better fit for the Clippers, argues Charlie Widdoes over at Clipper Blog.

In the 13 games before the trade, the Clippers had had gone 2-11. They appeared to have no answer when opponents swarmed Blake Griffin and forced others to beat them. Since the move, the Clippers are 6-5. It’s a small sample, but of all the positive things we can say about this season, with promising rookies and development and chemistry building, the one thing that has been missing has been wins. More specifically, wins without Eric Gordon. That, at least for the time being, has changed.

Eric Gordon was the perimeter scoring threat that relieved some of the pressure on Griffin. Williams is serving that same role. Pack the paint to stop Griffin if you want, but Williams is shooting 40 percent from three since coming to the Clippers.

It’s a matter of style. Gordon described Baron Davis as the guy who liked to go for the home run — threading the needle on an ally-oop or trying to hit the dagger three himself — but that was not what the young Clippers needed.

That tendency to go for the home run is part of who Baron Davis is, and while it has its benefits, it simply wasn’t the right fit on a team where Gordon and Griffin need to be the ones dictating the flow of the team. As Gordon said, Mo’s value is in letting everybody do what they do, fitting in himself as the guy who can knock down shots. So far that’s working because they are winning games.

The Clippers will have Mo Williams back next season (whenever that starts) and this time don’t look for them to get off to a 1-13 start that dooms their playoff chances before they start.