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A look at the Clippers’ Efficiency: The Good, The Bad and The Rookies

By Seth Kimbrell

PORTLAND, OR - NOVEMBER 25: Avery Bradley #11, Danilo Gallinari #8, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2, and Tobias Harris #34 of the LA Clippers look on during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on November 25, 2018 at the Moda Center Arena in Portland, Oregon. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OR - NOVEMBER 25: Avery Bradley #11, Danilo Gallinari #8, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander #2, and Tobias Harris #34 of the LA Clippers look on during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on November 25, 2018 at the Moda Center Arena in Portland, Oregon. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 9: Montrezl Harrell #5 of the LA Clippers shakes hands with Lou Williams #23 of the LA Clippers against the Denver Nuggets during a pre-season game on October 9, 2018 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 9: Montrezl Harrell #5 of the LA Clippers shakes hands with Lou Williams #23 of the LA Clippers against the Denver Nuggets during a pre-season game on October 9, 2018 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Good

This section has to start with Tobias Harris. His USG% is a relatively modest 23.3 percent. For context, this puts him at around the same usage as Dion Waiters, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Josh Jackson. His efficiency is sky-high at a 61.3 TS%, putting him in the same league efficiency-wise as Kawhi Leonard, Karl-Anthony Towns and LeBron James. His net rating isn’t quite so complimentary at a mere 1.5, which falls in the Joe Harris and Josh Hart realm. That net rating is mostly dragged down by his defense statisically lacking.

None of this should come as a surprise; it basically tells the story we expect. Harris is a great player. He scores in bunches and scores efficiently, but his defense stops him from being a truly dominant two-way player.

The other notable player in the “Good” category is Lou Williams. Lou’s got a team-high 30 USG% to go along with his team-high 7.0 net rating. His TS% is a bit lower, at 55.1 percent, while he’s got an impressive AST% of 31.2. To put that usage in perspective, there are only nine players who play significant minutes with a higher usage rate, and they’re exactly who you’d expect – players like James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Russell Westbrook are all in that company.

Sweet Lou’s net rating is eye-openingly good. Among players who’ve played at least 30 games and at least 20 minutes per game (the games played threshold ensures that a single blowout doesn’t affect net rating too much), 7.0 puts Lou tied for 31st in the league. Among those 30 above him, several are Warriors players (Draymond Green, Kevon Looney, Andre Iguodala) whose ratings greatly benefit from playing alongside guys like Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.

Finally, that assist percentage ranks him very highly as well. Among those same players as before, Lou comes in at 17th in percentage of his team’s baskets that he assists.

Before moving on to the not-so-good, an honorable mention to Montrezl Harrell. The 25-year-old big man is putting up a 2.7 net rating and 64.4 TS% (7th in the league among players playing more than 20 minutes per game) on 21.5 percent USG.

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