Clipperholics
Fansided

Breaking down the LA Clippers’ depth chart following the trade deadline

By Garrett Chorpenning

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 07: Montrezl Harrell #5 of the Los Angeles Clippers watches the action against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on February 07, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 07: Montrezl Harrell #5 of the Los Angeles Clippers watches the action against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on February 07, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 6
Next
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 31: Los Angeles Lakers Center Ivica Zubac (40) looks on during a NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers on January 31, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 31: Los Angeles Lakers Center Ivica Zubac (40) looks on during a NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers on January 31, 2019 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Center #1: Ivica Zubac

2018-2019 statistics: 8.3 PTS, 4.8 REB, 0.7 AST

Ivica Zubac might have been the steal of the deadline.

The 21-year-old center is currently playing in his third NBA season and has had an impressive start to his career. His role had remained mostly the same over all three of his years, and due to talent above him, he never got much of a chance to show what he was able to do.

He did start in 12 games this season though, and when he did, he played some stellar basketball. In those games, Zubac averaged 11.9 points and 6.2 rebounds in 20.1 minutes per game. Efficiency is his game.

His best game of the year came on January 17 in a win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Zubac went for 26 points and 12 rebounds and logged an absurd plus-minus rating of +35.

There’s a good chance that he’ll be LA’s starting center moving forward, and since he’s a restricted free agent this summer, the Clippers will get their chance to match any offer he receives from other teams. Assuming they have enough money left over, there’s a good chance they bring Zubac back.

Center #2: Montrezl Harrell

2018-2019 statistics: 15.7 PTS, 6.6 REB, 1.7 AST

There’s not a lot to say about Montrezl Harrell that hasn’t already been said. The Clippers know exactly who he is, how to use him, and which players he works best with. So if there was any doubt about his role changing with the team’s newest additions — forget about it.

Harrell has been one of the NBA’s most efficient and most dominant players this season. His 15.7 points all come in roughly 26 minutes per game, and it’s not uncommon to see him go for more. Harrell already has 17 games this season in which he’s scored 20 points or more, and just nine games in which he’s scored less than 10.

Now that the Clippers have JaMychal Green to play at the four, I’d expect Harrell to get most of his minutes as Zubac’s primary backup, which is where he plays his best basketball. He might be a little undersized for some of the guys he’ll go up against, but as we’ve seen already this season, that hasn’t really been an issue.

Next. The (Sort of) Final Result of the Blake trade. dark

The LA Clippers have a solid group of guys that they’ll finish out the season with, and it isn’t hard to imagine them making the playoffs at this rate. At 30-26, their next game takes place Saturday night in Boston. It’ll also be the first chance for many of the new guys to play for their new team, so fans can look forward to seeing some fresh faces take over Los Angeles.

Home/Clippers News