The LA Clippers’ 2019-2020 roster is beginning to take shape
Small Forwards
The wing position is another place where the LA Clippers have a bit of a logjam. With an abundance of swingmen, they’re already loaded up at small forward. However, outside of Maurice Harkless, none of them are necessarily starting-caliber players, and the dropoff from there is a big one. That’s another reason why the addition of Kawhi Leonard would be such a huge breakthrough for this squad.
Maurice Harkless
It’s a wonder that Maurice Harkless wasn’t an LA Clipper prior to the beginning of free agency — everything about the guy matches up perfectly with the team’s culture and blueprint for players.
A versatile defender (getting tired of reading that yet?), Harkless is capable of playing and defending both forward positions. His three-point shot is something that could use some work, given he connected on a mere 27.5 percent from range with the Portland Trail Blazers this past season, but he won’t be relied on much for scoring anyway.
A heady veteran with plenty of playoff experience, Harkless doesn’t shy away from challenges, either. Yesterday, I wrote a bit about how he played MVP candidate Paul George in the first round of this year’s playoffs. If you’re interested in reading more about that, click here.
No stranger to the bench, Harkless is capable of playing either there or in the starting rotation. If the Clippers end up with Kawhi Leonard, Harkless will be crucial for load management.
Rodney McGruder
Another swingman, Rodney McGruder is capable of playing both shooting guard and small forward, with the ability to defend both — in addition to point guards. Again, that’s something that should come in handy as the LA Clippers prepare their rotations ahead of next season, and he’ll get a solid number of minutes because of it.
A career 34.8 percent shooter from three-point range, McGruder offers about the same level of play offensively as Harkless — neither are fantastic from deep, but can hit a shot when need be and can score from everywhere else on the floor. He’s just smaller than Harkless is, so he may be better suited to play the two.
Much like the rest of the squad, McGruder is scrappy. His nickname is “The Scavenger”, after all. He’s absolutely the type of guy that the Clippers would want on this team, and he should benefit from that.
Sindarius Thornwell/Tyrone Wallace
I’m lumping the two of these players together, because if the LA Clippers do end up with Kawhi Leonard, one of them will likely have to be waived in order to offer Leonard the full max.
Sindarius Thornwell and Tyrone Wallace bring a lot of the same strengths and weaknesses to the table. Both are physical defenders, with the ability to play and defend multiple positions. Wallace might have the edge there since he can run the point on both ends of the floor as well, but Thornwell can defend bigger players — something the Clippers will need, since there’s not much depth at power forward or center.
Neither is a strong shooter from range. Thornwell connected on 20 percent of his looks in 2018-2019, while Wallace hit 21.1 percent of his.
This position may just come down to personal preference, and if that’s the case, it’s impossible for us to say who has the edge.