The Los Angeles Clippers look to be one of the more interesting teams in the NBA next season. The front office has refused to completely strip the roster and rebuild despite moving on from former franchise cornerstones Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, and DeAndre Jordan all in the last year, which could plunge the once-contending Clippers into a dreaded state of mediocrity for years to come. That is if the franchise continues to refuse a rebuild despite another average season in 2018-19.
With that said, there is certainly not a lack of talent residing on the Clippers’ roster. Reigning Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams, the lockdown backcourt duo of Patrick Beverley and Avery Bradley, and offensively-gifted forwards Tobias Harris and Danilo Gallinari make for a strong core of starting-caliber players. Unfortunately for the Los Angeles Clippers, while each of the aforementioned players could play a key role for a contending team, none of them should be looked at as a number one option for a team with playoff aspirations. To make matters worse, the Clippers didn’t exactly improve over the summer. All-Star center DeAndre Jordan finally decided to join the Dallas Mavericks nearly three years after originally agreeing to a contract with the team. Calling his replacement a downgrade would be an understatement, as the aging and at times unplayable Marcin Gortat is no longer a starting-caliber center in the league.
In addition to trading for Gortat, who was swapped in for guard Austin Rivers earlier this offseason, the Clippers continued to stockpile players that, while valuable assets, don’t move the needle in terms of the team’s playoff hopes. These players include forward Mike Scott, who experienced his most successful NBA season with the Washington Wizards last season as a spark plug off the bench, and the return of three-and-D specialist Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who dashed away from the Houston Rockets. Avery Bradley was also brought back on a sizable new deal – a somewhat head-scratching move by both sides. The Clippers had no dire need for his services, while Bradley most definitely could’ve had his pick from a number of playoff teams searching for a stout perimeter defender.
The Los Angeles Clippers have opted to go in a unique direction of infusing new, young talent to the roster while also trying to stay competitive. With both their own 13th overall pick and Detroit’s 12th overall pick (acquired in the Blake Griffin trade) in hand, the Clippers brought in a pair of lottery talents in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson in this year’s NBA Draft. The Clippers likely hope that Gilgeous-Alexander can eventually transform into the team’s point guard of the future, but will likely play behind Beverley, Williams, and possibly even Milos Teodosic to start the season. The case for Robinson will likely be the same, as the explosive guard will similarly be fighting for playing time with the rest of the team’s backcourt.
The reality is that while the Clippers were just a few wins away from securing a playoff spot in the Western Conference last season, the difficulty of building on what the team had in 2017-18 is tremendous. Fellow lottery teams such as the Denver Nuggets and in-town rival Los Angeles Lakers have made significant improvements to their team that should warrant playoff berths. Not to mention, even last season’s bottom feeders such as the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks have built solid enough rosters this offseason to at least have the ability to challenge for a back-end playoff spot. It will be uphill sledding for the Los Angeles Clippers.
One of the Clippers big strengths this season will be their depth, as they are at least two deep at every single position, which includes arguably the best bench player in the association in Williams. To start the campaign, the team will likely roll out a starting lineup of Patrick Beverley, Avery Bradley, Tobias Harris, Danilo Gallinari, and Marcin Gortat. Regardless of the opening night lineup, however, there will likely be some tinkering with the starting group throughout the season as both Harris and Gallinari are better suited at the power forward position. After the Clippers utilized thirty-seven different starting lineups in 2017-18, head coach Doc Rivers changing up the starters at some point in the season seems to be more of a certainty than a possibility.
The ever-changing starting lineups bound to roll out for the Los Angeles Clippers throughout next season go hand-in-hand with the possibility of a fire sale at the trade deadline. The team has eight expiring contracts on the books, including the blossoming Tobias Harris, who turned down a four-year, $80 million extension earlier this summer. With plenty of playoff contenders looking to add a boon of talent after the All-Star break, it may be wise for the team to ship off players in exchange for assets down the line. Lou Williams’ surprisingly signed a three-year, $24 million extension with the Clippers after the team failed to make a deal prior to the 2018 trade deadline. However, as one of the most valuable contracts in the NBA for a high-end talent, the Clippers could likely amass a nice haul for the two-time Sixth Man of the Year if the team’s postseason hopes are out the door come early February.
The Western Conference playoff race looks to be tight throughout the 2018-19 season, but in all likelihood, the Los Angeles Clippers will find themselves on the outside of it. In a season where it may take nearly 50 wins just to make it to the postseason, it may be in the team’s best interest to sell off on the team’s wealth of depth to set up for what – so far – looks like a bright future for Los Angeles’ forgotten team.
