For the breakdown of the Clippers’ Ball Handlers, click here.
For the breakdown of the Clippers’ Bigs, click here.
The Los Angeles Clippers have a deep stable of wings on their roster. As is also the case with the Ball Handlers, the team will go as these players go.
Tobias Harris, Danilo Gallinari, Avery Bradley and number of other contributors make up a sizable, versatile group for Doc Rivers to play with on a nightly basis. What sort of impact can they make for the team?
Tobias Harris
Harris is and has been one of the more underrated players in the NBA for the past several seasons. Everyone agrees on that, yes?
The forward has bounced around the league the last few years, playing for the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons before a trade sent him to the Clippers. Despite the harsh working conditions, he managed to improve on his game at every stop; Harris’ scoring average increased with each new team.
Harris has the ability to be a major offensive threat. BBall Index ranked him within the 91st percentile as a perimeter shooter and gave him an A grade for his efforts last season. His post- game earned him an A-minus grade – B-plus compared to other wings with 2000 minutes played – and Harris was solid in one-on-one situations as well. While he has often struggled on the defensive end, Harris has the size to cover multiple positions and could certainly be an asset when put in the proper situations.
Harris figures to be the main offensive force when Lou Williams is on the bench and should see heavy minutes from the start of the season. In his 32-game stint with the team last season, Harris averaged 19.3 points with solid efficiency – he shot 47.3 percent from the floor and hit on 41.4 percent of his 5.3 three-point attempts per game – and more of the same should be expected from him this season.
Danilo Gallinari
When healthy, Gallinari has proved he can be a difference maker at the NBA level. That health, however, has escaped Gallinari for much of his career.
In six complete seasons with the Denver Nuggets, Gallinari played in just 289 of a possible 492 games. However, when he was on the court Gallinari was a handful; the wing averaged 16.2 points and 4.8 rebounds during those games and averaged a career-high 19.5 points per game during the 2015 season.
The injury bug, unfortunately, bit Gallinari again last season, limiting him to just 21 games in his debut season with the Clippers. However, during the 2016-17 season – his last with the Nuggets, where he played 63 games – BBall Index gave Gallinari a grade of A-minus or better as a perimeter shooter, off the ball threat and in one-on-one sets. Gallinari was an excellent offensive weapon in the post that season as well; BBall Index placed him in the 95th percentile among all wings with at least 2000 minutes played.
Like Harris, Gallinari is a poor defender but has the size to play in multiple different spots. That versatility will come in handy as Rivers navigates his lineup from night-to-night. If he can stay on the court, and that is a big if at this point in his career, Gallinari should form a strong one-two offensive punch with Harris and play heavy minutes as long as he is capable.
Avery Bradley
Like Gallinari, Bradley has struggled with injuries throughout his career. But the shooting guard still has a surplus of talent and is still regarded by his peers as one of the better defenders in the NBA.
Bradley isn’t capable of the same impact that Harris and Gallinari are, and could even the Clippers a few games based on his defense. Since 2012, the year he became a full-time starter, Bradley has averaged 1.1 steals per game. Last season, in just 46 games, BBall Index gave him a B grade as a perimeter defender but he struggled on the interior.
Offensively, Bradley has the ability to knock down shots; he earned grades of B-plus and B as a perimeter shooter and in one-on-one situations, respectively, but was mediocre elsewhere.
Bradley should see steady minutes as a starter alongside Harris, Gallinari and point-guard Patrick Beverley. While he normally slots in as a shooting guard, he should see plenty of minutes at the small forward spot as well as Rivers plays with his rotations throughout the season.
Luc Mbah a Moute
A battle-tested veteran, Luc Mbah a Moute was a solid addition to the Clippers’ roster this offseason and should bring plenty of poise and experience after going toe-to-toe with the Golden State Warriors as a member of the Houston Rockets a season ago.
Mbah a Moute won’t get many touches on the offensive end in his second stint in Los Angeles, but he has been effective with the limited touches he has seen throughout his career. In 61 games with the Rockets last season, Mbah a Moute earned a B grade from BBall Index as a perimeter shooter and off-ball threat. He was solid in the post and, surprisingly, ranked in the 91st percentile as a one-on-one threat as well.
The main reason he was brought in, however, was for his defense. Mbah a Moute has been one of the more versatile defenders in the NBA for the better part of his career – he has the length and speed combo required to defend multiple positions and is the type of player that can be thrown into the mix to slow the opposition down. When compared to other wings with at least 1000 minutes played last season, Mbah a Moute came in as an A-minus defender on both the perimeter and the interior, according to BBall Index’s player grades.
Minutes will be hard to come by for Mbah a Moute, but Rivers has experience with and knows what spots he can trust him and should use him as he sees fit. His experience against the Warriors last postseason may be more important than anything else, as the Clippers look to take it to, and beat, the best of the best in the NBA.
Everyone Else
Los Angeles has a number of interesting options remaining off the bench at the wing spot.
Jerome Robinson, the rookie out of Boston College, as well as Sindarius Thornwell and Tyrone Wallace, both in their sophomore seasons, should see minutes when they can; whether in mop-up duty in the event of injury or otherwise.
Robinson was a standout at Boston College, where he averaged 17.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game across three seasons with the school. Thornwell and Wallace both flashed their ability at times last season and registered multiple double-digit scoring games. Should he look to shake things up, all three could provide a spark off the bench for Rivers should he need one.
Jonathan Motley, like fellow two-way player Angel Delgado, should spend most of his time in the G-League, if not riding the pine behind the others.
This group of wings is certainly a versatile one and, while there is no one true superstar among them, they all have the ability to make an impact at the highest level; there are almost too many options for Rivers to choose from. So, while he may find some difficulty in juggling their playing time, this is one of the few problems Rivers would surely welcome this season.
All non-BBall Index stats courtesy of NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.
