Now just over a month removed from the NBA trade deadline, we take a look at how well each new member of the LA Clippers has fit in.
By the time the NBA’s trade deadline came around in February, no one expected the LA Clippers to be where they were.
Just prior to making their first trade, which saw Tobias Harris and Co. go to the Philadelphia 76ers, the Clippers were 30-25 — good for the Western Conference’s 8th seed. It was a place the team had been virtually all season long, which was especially impressive considering many pegged the Clippers as a mid-to-late lottery team in 2019.
Led mostly by the will of Lou Williams and the efforts of Patrick Beverley and Montrezl Harrell, the LA Clippers instead looked like a team that was a piece or two away from being a legitimate contender to the NBA throne.
A few hours after Adrian Wojnarowski broke the Harris trade on Twitter, and the fans had let the news settle, the attitude about the Clippers’ playoff chances seemed to change. Sure, they were still optimistic about the pieces returned for Harris, but some speculated that the deal would put an end to this season’s magical run.
That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Somehow, the LA Clippers have been playing better basketball since the trade deadline. And as shocking as that seemed at first, it quickly became evident that the players the Clippers managed to obtain were much better than originally anticipated. And even more so, they all seemed to get along and play well together very quickly.
LA still sits at the bottom of the playoff picture, but as winners of seven of their last 10, things seem to be trending upward for the team that was never supposed to be here at all — and the new additions have plenty to do with it.
But which of the new players has performed the best? And is it really that easy to tell?
The answer there is no — at least, not yet. While there is some separation between a few of the players, the group has largely performed well and it’s hard to pick a “clear cut” best or worst guy. Because of that, we’ll be breaking them down into tiers, with Tier 3 being “the worst” and Tier 1 “the best”.
Keep in mind that this list is up for debate and is subject to change as the season winds down.