Ranking LA Clippers Most Important Players for NBA Restart

  • 6 months ago
With less than a month left before the NBA restart begins, we rank the LA Clippers' players from least to most important.
Transcript
00:00We're almost there, Clippers fans. After a four-month hiatus, we're finally just three
00:04weeks away from the NBA restart's opening night, which will prominently feature the
00:07Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers as the headline act. Before I start talking about games, it
00:12couldn't hurt to get reacquainted with LA's roster, so in doing so, I'll be ranking each
00:15member of the team in order of their importance to the Clippers' ultimate goal of winning
00:19the NBA title. Now, for the sake of time, we can't talk about all 17 players in this
00:24list, so instead in this video, I'll be talking about the top 5 players in the list,
00:28beginning with Patrick Beverley. Fifth, you know, it does kind of feel like a low spot
00:32for Pat Bev, given everything he does for the Clippers team. He's notorious for his
00:35ability as a perimeter defender and willing to take on virtually any defensive assignment
00:39that there is. Teammates call his attitude contagious, but Beverley is also a great offensive
00:44player as well. On the year, he's averaging 8 points and 3.7 assists per game while shooting
00:48about 38% in three-point range. His fearless style of play on both ends of the floor is
00:53a big reason why the Clippers team is as good as they are this season. Kawhi Leonard and
00:57Paul George obviously are Clippers' top two two-way players, but Beverley does make a
01:02strong argument for third. And number four, we have Montrezl Harrell, obviously one of
01:06the best effort players in the NBA. This season, he's been incredible, averaging 18.6 points
01:12and 7 rebounds per game in less than 28 minutes per contest. His hustle stats are also fantastic.
01:17He leads the league in charges drawn with 30, ranks third in box outs with 363, and
01:22fifth in contested shots with just under 800. He obviously isn't a perfect defender, and his size,
01:28he's 6'7", doesn't help with that position that he plays, but it's hard to keep him on the floor
01:31considering everything else that Montrezl Harrell does that helps the team out. At number three,
01:35we have Lou Williams. Montrezl Harrell, like I said, has had a better season overall than Williams,
01:39but Williams is not a more important player here. He can score at will, but he's also one of the
01:44league's best shot creators. He finds space where there isn't, gets to his spots with ease,
01:49and it's pretty much impossible to guard despite his 6'1". On top of that, he's averaging a career
01:55high 5.7 assists per game this season, so he helps others create and make their own shots as well.
02:00His defense obviously is a concern. It's reasonable to worry about him being played off the floor in
02:05big key moments, but that said, Williams typically does enough on the offensive side of the floor
02:10to deserve a spot in LA's closing rotation. Number two is Paul George. Clippers fans should
02:15prepare to see a lot more of George once things pick back up next month. Last month, he said on
02:20Knucklehead's podcast that he finally finished rehabbing his shoulders during the break,
02:25meaning he's completely healthy for the first time all season. At full potential, George is one of
02:29the league's most versatile players and best shooters in three-point range. If he can return
02:33to the MVP caliber level he played out with Oklahoma City funder last season, he and Kawhi
02:37Leonard will be unstoppable together in the bubble. At number one, of course, is Kawhi Leonard. By all
02:43accounts, he's one of the best platformers in league history. He's 29 years old, just turned 29
02:47in the last two weeks. He's already a two-time NBA champion, two-time finals MVP, two-time defensive
02:53player of the year, and three-time All-NBA selection. To make matters worse, forever the team in the
02:57bubble, Leonard's averaging career-high marks across the board this season at 27 points, 7.3
03:03rebounds, and a career-high five assists per game. That last one is especially important. So not only
03:08is Leonard the most important player for the Clippers, but he'll be one of the most important
03:12players in Orlando overall. With him at the helm, Clippers have as good a shot as ever before
03:17to win their first NBA title this year.

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