The End of an Unfortunate Era
The LA Clippers did a very good thing by getting Avery Bradley off their hands, for numerous reasons.
Let’s start with the obvious — Bradley has not been good this season. In fact, according to ESPN’s Real Plus-Minus rating, Bradley ranks 459th out of 484 qualified players this season. That’s far from good.
The fact that the Clippers were able to turn Bradley into anything, let alone two solid role players, is pretty incredible. It’s like the Grizzlies walked into their local 7/11 and paid $100 for a slice of mediocre pizza. It just doesn’t add up.
But it doesn’t end there — the Clippers actually added to their cap this summer with the move, bringing the projected total well above $50 million.
Enough about Bradley, though, because it’s time we discuss Garrett Temple and JaMychal Green.
Temple is both a swingman and a journeyman, and he does both very well. The 32-year-old has started in all 49 games he’s played for the Memphis Grizzlies this season, averaging 9.4 points and 3.1 rebounds across 31 minutes per game. Temple also shot 35.2 percent from deep for the Grizzlies, which is about average for his career. He did it on a career-high 4.3 attempts per game though, so there’s a chance he brings his percentage up if he takes less attempts in LA.
At 6’6″, Temple is probably better equipped to play Bradley’s old position than he was, even though he’ll probably end up the as the starter at small forward. He’s on an expiring deal as well, which helps the Clippers out this summer.
Green is interesting for many reasons, and he’s actually been a really solid performer off of the Grizzlies’ bench. He’s averaged 9.8 points and 6.1 rebounds in 22 minutes per game this season, while shooting an impressive 39.6 percent from three-point range. He’s strong, like Montrezl Harrell, and will play some bully ball in the paint. Just don’t expect a whole lot from him on the defensive end.
Assuming Harrell gets minutes at backup center following the deadline, I’d expect to see he and Green share the floor. The two are a little smaller for their positions, but both can rebound, and with Green’s ability to space the floor, the paint won’t be so congested.
Like Temple, Green’s deal is an expiring as well. Both will play some solid basketball for the LA Clippers over the next two months, and should help the team achieve their goals this summer.