Season Prediction
Will Marcin Gortat replace DeAndre Jordan? No. The 34-year-old will likely hover around 20-25 minutes per game and may see that change depending on the match-up. Doc Rivers has already toyed with the idea of playing extra small in late-game situations, which would leave Gortat as the odd man out.
Should Montrezl Harrell continue on his trajectory from last season, he may also begin to usurp minutes from Gortat.
There won’t be a lot of plays run for Gortat, especially when he shares the court with both Danilo Gallinari and Tobias Harris. Most of his points will come off of rebounds and hard work. I would expect him to average right around 8.0 points per game, which would be similar to last year in Washington. He might also move a little closer to 8.0 rebounds, which would be slightly more than last season.
All in all, Gortat is a solid piece for a team in an in-between year. His contract is only good through this season, so I would caution to not get too attached. With the possibility of two superstar signings next summer, he could become expendable in order to clear cap space.
Still, for this one season, Marcin Gortat will do everything the Clippers need at the center position at an acceptable rate. There will be highs and lows, but the Clips could have done a whole lot worse when replacing Jordan.
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