LA Clippers player grades for first 30 games of 2016-17 NBA season
By Tom West
Raymond Felton: B+
Raymond Felton was possibly the LA Clippers’ most overlooked signing in free agency this summer. As one of a handful of solid players that Doc Rivers bought in on veteran’s minimum contracts, Felton was never mentioned in conversations of the best additions without Marreese Speights stealing the limelight.
That’s ok, because Felton was never going to be (and never needed to be) a complete game changer. The Clippers simply needed a third point guard to add to their rotation after parting with Pablo Prigioni. But what Felton can bring to the table never received much attention, and he’s been helping L.A. from the get go when setting up the offense or applying his full-court pressure on defense.
The miles Felton racks up to do the latter have certainly helped him burn off the fat and negative reputation (both literally and figuratively) he had in some of the earlier years of his career. He brings energy to defend and he’s physical, which allows him to partner with Austin Rivers to form a capable defensive duo to take some of that pressure away from Chris Paul.
Offensively, there’s a limited role for Felton, though he’s done his job well so far. Shooting a current career-high of 43.9 percent from three (albeit with only 18 makes so far) is a welcome surprise, and so long as he can move the ball and provide his driving ability to balance out the sometimes trigger-happy shooters around him, Felton will continue to be a real bonus. His sturdy, confident drives to the rim are particularly valuable.