When people hear the name Ron Harper, most tend to remember his contributions to the Chicago Bulls as a cog in three consecutive championship teams. But some of Harper’s best seasons came as a member of the Clippers from 1989 to 1994, where his scoring average hovered around 20 a game.
Harper’s strength came in his ability to attack the basket. With tremendous speed and quickness, he could blow past just about anybody on his way to the rim. Once there, he could contort his body any which way to avoid the defense and softly lay the ball up right at the bucket.
Due to the problems he posed with the ball in his hands, Harper was a terror in transition. He was able to ignite fast breaks even when defenders were back, going coast to coast regularly. Harper would even slam it down on the opposition after picking up enough steam in transition.
His style was at times reckless, as shown by his below average 43.6 field goal percentage during his time in Los Angeles. However, you take the good with the bad. It’s safe to say the former came way more often than the latter during Harper’s time with the Clippers.
The Clippers would qualify for the playoffs in consecutive seasons with Harper in the fold, going the distance in the first-round both times, but ultimately falling short in postseason trip.
Harper’s individual best didn’t coincide with his championship accolades while with the Bulls That being said, he was beloved for his relentless style of play and fearlessness when attacking the basket, creating highlights that were amazing as much as they were exhausting for him to pull off.