8.) Los Angeles Clippers
Not half bad for a team that less than a year ago had two top 15 players. This season, our Clippers missed the playoffs for the first time since 2011, but fans of the team don’t seem too distressed. The Clippers accomplished more than we could have imagined this season. This team had no expectations and finished just a few games out from another playoff appearance.
In June, Chris Paul, arguably the best player in franchise history, was part of a sign and trade with the Rockets in return for many pieces, mainly young players Sam Dekker and Montrezl Harrell.
While failing to retain Paul, they were able to bring back another top five player in franchise history in Blake Griffin. Griffin played the first half of the season for LA. At first, he was a MVP candidate, leading the team to a 4-0 start. That quickly fell off and the team was 5-11, likely a reason that Griffin was eventually dealt in January. After the very poor starting record and a sidelining injury, Griffin was sent to Detroit with Willie Reed and Brice Johnson for Tobias Harris, Boban Marjanovic, Avery Bradley, and a future first round pick. Harris and the pick are considered the biggest assets acquired. Harris shot very well from three point range this season, earning himself a spot in the All-Star weekend three point contest.
So far, the young pieces we have include: Harris, Harrell, Dekker, and rookies Sindarius Thornwell and Jawun Evans along with both ours and the DET first round pick. Let’s be real: Harris isn’t a number one option on a contending team. Probably not even a number two option. Harris and Harrell are good for now, but if the team wishes to get back to several consecutive playoff appearances, and eventually a championship, they will really need to hit it home in upcoming drafts.