2017–18 NBA Season Preview: Los Angeles Clippers
This offseason was the biggest in the history of the LA Clippers, as co-stars Chris Paul and Blake Griffin could both opt out and become free agents, and JJ Redick’s contract was set to expire. They had to decide whether they wanted to try to bring both back, only re-sign one of them, or let them both go. And what ended up happening seems to have ultimately worked out for them.
Owner Steve Ballmer recently relieved Coach Doc Rivers of his duties running the team, and he can now stick to coaching. This was long overdue, Rivers has been holding the Clippers back for a long time now.
Offseason Moves
Re-signed: Blake Griffin
Added: Jawun Evans (Draft), Sindarius Thornwell (Draft), Patrick Beverley (Trade), Sam Dekker (Trade), Lou Williams (Trade), Montrezl Harrell (Trade), Danillo Gallinari (Free Agency), Milos Teodosic (Free Agency), Willie Reed (Free Agency)
Lost: Chris Paul (Trade), Brandon Bass (Free Agency), Alan Anderson (Free Agency), Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (Free Agency), Mareese Speights (Free Agency), JJ Redick (Free Agency), Raymond Felton (Free Agency), Paul Pierce (Retirement), Jamal Crawford (Trade), Diamond Stone (Trade)
Chris Paul decided before the Free Agency process began that his heart was set on the Houston Rockets, so he informed the Clippers of this so that LA and Houston could work out a trade so that the Clips could get some form of compensation for CP3. LA was very fortunate to get the package of Beverley, Dekker, Williams and Harrell to help them transition into the new era of Clippers basketball.
Bringing back Griffin on a five-year, maximum value contract is very risky due to his well-documented injury history, so they better hope he can regain his health and supreme athleticism and go back to being the Blake Griffin of old.
Buying two second-rounders and selecting Jawun Evans and Sindarius Thornwell, two steals, was clearly a move made by newly acquired executive Jerry West — and proof that they desperately needed a decision maker who has authority on par with Doc Rivers, one of the most short-sighted minds in the game today.
Giving Gallinari such a big deal was odd, because he is much better suited to be the small-ball Power Forward, but he will be relegated to playing Small Forward next to Griffin and Jordan. He’s a decent signing, but the fit isn’t great.
The Key to Their Success
If the Clippers want to become a formidable opponent for anybody in the Western Conference, they will need Blake Griffin to return to superstar form. He is a such a gifted player with a very unique skillset, they need to make the most of it. Their entire offense should run through him, and they should even have him bring up the ball and initiate the offense at times to keep the defense on its toes.
Player to Watch
With the losses of Paul, Redick and Crawford, the Clippers desperately need a guard who can create plays on his own to step up and take on a bigger role for the team. That player needs to be Austin Rivers. He’s usually in the headlines because of the preferential treatment he gets from his father Doc, but he showed significant improvement last year. There is definitely still work to do — but Rivers has the potential to be a very useful playmaker for the Clippers.
Best and Worst Case Scenarios
Best case: Griffin and Jordan adapt to their somewhat adjusted roles and become the most feared bigman duo in the NBA, Gallinari provides the perfect scoring aside them, and the combination of Beverley and Rivers in the backcourt mesh perfectly, making the Clippers the 4th or 5th seed in the West.
Worst case: Blake’s injury issues don’t perish, Jordan struggles to get anything productive done on offense without Paul there to feed him, Rivers and Gallinari both cause defensive problems, and the Clippers miss the playoffs.
Predicting Their Fate
The Clippers will barely miss out on the postseason because of how stacked the West is. But their core players prove to still fit well together without Chris Paul at the helm.
