Going into the 2018-2019 season, Danilo Gallinari and Tobias Harris will assumedly be the starting front-court for the Clippers. However, these two have not spent much time on court together. Last they played nine games together, totaling 220 minutes on court with each other. According to the two man line-ups on NBA.com, Harris and Gallinari had an offensive rating and a defensive rating of 102.1 and 105.5 points per 100 possessions, giving them a negative rating of -3.4. The Clippers averaged 107.7 on both ends normally. The issue with this duo could be their combined lack of defense, rebounding, and play-making.
Each player has the same duty on the court. They act as a decently high usage secondary scoring option who can drive, shoot off the dribble, and create out of necessity. Both are over-sized 3’s who do not rebound or rim protect like 4’s.
Last season, Gallinari came in out of shape, and injuries deteriorated his body. Defensively, it is hard to envision him continuing to play small forward. Likewise, Harris has always played a bit better at the small ball four role where his shooting spaces the floor well and larger defenders cannot keep up with him.
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The only issue is Harris rebounds like a power forward. Without DeAndre Jordan standing behind them at the rim, the two players will need to be at their best for the Clippers to compete for a playoff spot.
Neither player is a natural creator on offense, but they both can create out of necessity. Gallinari has become a better passer over the years as his drive and kick game evolved. The duo’s bread and butter should be the double front court pick and roll. When Gallinari had signed with the Clippers, writers envisioned Blake Griffin and Gallinari running the PnR together as both were adept ball-handlers, screeners, and shooters.
Harris is a bit reluctant as the screener in the PnR, though his shooting in a Pick and Pop scenario with Gallinari could be deadly. He shot 41.2% on catch and shoot 3’s on a high volume 4.5 3 point attempts a game last season. Both players need to be willing to make each other better on court. They each want to score 20 ppg and they each want to be the #1 or 2 guy, however, for the Clippers, their most potent offense will involve players screening, spacing the floor, and sharing the ball.
Whenever these two are on the court together, the defense will be average, at best. To win, the offense needs potency. If the duo does not work out, a move to the bench for Gallinari might be the best for the team.