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Three players that will make or break the LA Clippers’ season

By Garrett Chorpenning

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 09: Danilo Gallinari #8 of the Los Angeles Clippers during warm up before the game against the Denver Nuggets on October 9, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 09: Danilo Gallinari #8 of the Los Angeles Clippers during warm up before the game against the Denver Nuggets on October 9, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Robert Laberge/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 07: Tobias Harris #34 of the Los Angeles Clippers controls the ball during the game against the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center on April 7, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 07: Tobias Harris #34 of the Los Angeles Clippers controls the ball during the game against the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center on April 7, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Josh Lefkowitz/Getty Images) /

Recent Stories. . Tobias Harris. 34. 77. F. LA Clippers. player

Tobias Harris is unmistakably the best player on the LA Clippers roster, and is very capable of earning a max extension with the team this summer. That won’t happen if he doesn’t play up to standards, though.

Last season, Harris played in 80 games for both the Detroit Pistons and the Clippers, averaging 18.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.4 assists between the two. Those numbers were all slightly better with the Clippers, comparable at 19.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. Harris also shot a career-best 41.4 percent from three-point range with LA.

He was better than most fans expected him to be, and he’ll need a repeat performance again this season to keep the Clippers afloat. In 32 games, he led Los Angeles to a 17-15 record over the final months of the regular season.

With a healthier, deeper squad, Harris won’t need to do as much individually to keep LA in playoff contention. What he will need to do, rather, is prove that he’s a cut above the rest.

Harris will likely be the focal point of the team’s offense, but he needs to make a more significant contribution on the defensive end as well. A solid perimeter defender, Harris averaged over a steal per game with the Clippers, but tended to falter when it came to midrange and inside scoring threats. He’ll need to be more defensively sound all over the court for LA to really rely on him.

If Harris plays like the superstar he feels he is and wills his team into the playoffs, a big check could be coming his way. Otherwise, he may end up on his fifth different team in eight years.

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