2008 NBA Draft
Selections: Eric Gordon (7th), DeAndre Jordan (35th), Mike Taylor (55th)
Notable players still available: N/A
After an abysmal 2007 draft, the Clippers followed up with one of their best ever.
LA selected Eric Gordon with the 7th overall pick, who immediately became the team’s best player. He averaged 22.3 points per game in his 3rd and final season with the Clippers, as he and Blake Griffin led the team to 32 wins – their highest output since the 2006-2007 season. Gordon was eventually included in the trade package that sent Chris Paul to the Clippers, so A+ for that.
LA’s luck hadn’t run out just yet, though. In the second round, they managed to steal DeAndre Jordan with the 35th overall pick. A one-time All-Star, Jordan is now only 18 games away from surpassing Randy Smith and becoming the longest tenured Clipper of all time.
The Clippers then finished off the draft by selecting Mike Taylor with the 55th overall selection, who appeared in 51 games in his lone season with LA. He scored a career-high 35 points against the New York Knicks late in the year. The team waived him in 2009, and that was that. All in all, not bad for a guy taken 6 spots from the bottom.
The only knock on this year’s draft was not playing Jordan enough, but that’s pretty severe nitpicking.