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2018-19 NBA End-of-Season Awards: LA Clippers Edition

By Cannon Wonderlich

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - FEBRUARY 27: Patrick Beverley #21 of the LA Clippers brings the ball up court against the Utah Jazz in the first half of a NBA game at Vivint Smart Home Arena on February 27, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - FEBRUARY 27: Patrick Beverley #21 of the LA Clippers brings the ball up court against the Utah Jazz in the first half of a NBA game at Vivint Smart Home Arena on February 27, 2019 in Salt Lake City, Utah. 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. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr./Getty Images) /
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Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images /

Rookie of the Year: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The Clippers’ have a deep candidate pool for Rookie of the Year. Angel Delgado, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jerome Robinson, and Landry Shamet are all eligible.

Angel Delgado only suited up for two games and played a combined 15 minutes. This isn’t good enough to win it this year. He did, however, win the NBA G-League Rookie of the Year award, where he averaged 18.5 points and 14.8 rebounds per game.

Jerome Robinson also misses out on the award due to his small sample size. Robinson only played 33 games and only logged more than 15 minutes seven times. Like Delgado, Robinson did put together an impressive season in the G-League, averaging 18.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game.

Landry Shamet, while being the Clippers’ second best rookie, didn’t spend enough time to warrant award consideration. He spent the first half of the season on the 76ers and was acquired by the Clippers at the trade deadline. He has improved since moving West and has become an integral part of the rotation. He will likely be on the All-Rookie Second Team, but is not the best rookie on the Clippers.

Shai-GIlgeous Alexander is the clear choice for this award. He started the season as a normal rookie would; Some highlights, more low-lights, and a fair share of games where he seemed completely lost. From his debut in October to the end of February, SGA was averaging a modest 9.8 points, 3.0 assists, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game.

From March to the end of the regular season, however, the Toronto native point guard averaged 14.4 points, 4.4 assists, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.4 steals per game. While these are fairly civilians numbers in the grand scheme of the NBA, it was reassuring for Clippers fans to see their lottery pick starting to take form. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will likely find himself receiving All-Rookie First Team honors as well during award season.

SGA has shown to be the best Clippers rookie since Blake Griffin in the 2010-11 season, and if he can have anywhere near the impact that Griffin did all those years ago, Clippers fans will have something to look forward to.

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