1. Focus On the Present and Future

I’ve wrote about this in the past, but Jerry West and Steve Ballmer have made it clear that tanking is not in the Clippers fabric right now. In their eyes, they have the talent to compete now but are also building for the future. This type of strategy is rarely seen in today’s NBA where it’s either championship mindset or fold for draft picks. I agree with their sentiment that this team can be a playoff team as well as preparing for the future.

The Clippers have the reigning Sixth Man of the Year in Lou Williams and near 20-point-a-game scorers in Tobias Harris and Danilo Gallinari. They have three of the best perimeter defenders in the league in Patrick Beverley, Luc Richard Mbah A Moute and Avery Bradley. With young talent like Montrezl Harrell, SGA and Jerome Robinson, this team from top to bottom is impressive. While the Clippers lack a star name, the talent on this roster is nothing to shake your head at.

Admittedly, in drafting SGA and Robinson, the Clippers do have a clog at guard. However, with Beverley and Milos Teodosic only having one year remaining on their deals as well as the likely cutting of another guard like Jawun Evans or Ty Wallace due to 15-man roster thresholds, expect a lot of play from the two lottery picks this season.

I expect SGA to be a major cog in the Clippers rotation this year. After shining in the Summer League, SGA looks to the point guard of the future in L.A. His height & length give him excellent two-way potential and if he can attain a consistent jump shot, expect his offense to be impressive this season. Very excited about what he can bring to the table.

While I expect Robinson to play less than SGA, I think he can also be a major player for L.A. moving forward. He is a walking bucket and his three-point shooting will be a necessary addition to the Clippers offense next season (add three-point stats from last season). He needs to improve defensively but with some NBA coaching and a little seasoning, Jerome will be in the 2nd unit and can really be a factor upcoming. Just look at what the other NBA rookies thought about Jerome’s career trajectory. Expect some big scoring nights from Jerome this season and beyond.

The rookies aren’t the only reason to be excited about the future of this team. In re-signing Montrezl Harrell, the Clippers showed love to one of the best bench players in the NBA last season. Harrell brings big-time energy and skill to the 2nd unit and was a welcome surprise for the Clippers last season after being traded from the Houston Rockets. I personally was stoked about this and I expect an even bigger season from Montrezl in 2018-19.

Next Up: Takeaway 2