LA Clippers 2019-2020 player profiles: Moe Harkless may have major role

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PORTLAND, OREGON – MAY 18: Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors passes the ball against Maurice Harkless #4 of the Portland Trail Blazers in game three of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Moda Center on May 18, 2019 in Portland, Oregon. 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 Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images) /

Defense

The defensive side of the ball is where Moe Harkless will be at his best. His 6’9″, 220lb frame gives him the ability to guard both of the forward positions.

He does it well. Last season, opponents shot 1.9% worse on plays where Harkless was the primary defender. He also had 1.9 deflections per game. This awareness helped him get to his 1.0 steal a game for his career.

Starting in 53 of the 60 games he appeared in, Harkless often drew the opposing teams best wing assignment. In fact, in the Blazers first round matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Harkless was tasked with guarding his now teammate Paul George.

Keep in mind, George was the second highest scorer in the league during the regular season, despite dealing with shoulder issues. Our own Garrett Chorpenning on how Harkless did:

"In the first four games of the series, George connected on a mere 37 percent of his attempts from the floor, and only 30.8 percent of his looks from three-point range — both significant decreases from his career percentages. Obviously, Harkless was unable to stop him entirely, but he played a similar role to the one Beverley played against Kevin Durant in the Clippers’ own first round series. A majority of the points George scored in those first four games came at the free throw line, rather than from field goals. That was especially the case in Game 3, when he went 3-of-16 from the floor and 14-of-17 from the stripe, scoring 22 points in 41 minutes of action."

Now, that may not seem super great, but let’s take a step back and realize something.

He won’t be tasked with that type of assignment on this team.

Instead, Harkless will at worst have the second best wing to guard. At best? He’ll be matched up on a random forward while Patrick Beverley, George and Leonard take the top assignments.

That’s pretty lethal.

With Harkless added to this potent defensive group, the Clippers can really lock down some opponents. Expect to see the following lineup if the Clippers really need a stop:

PG – Patrick Beverley
SG – Paul George
SF – Kawhi Leonard
PF – Moe Harkless
C – Montrezl Harrell

That unit won’t have too much trouble on the offensive end either, but Harkless is definitely the 5th option there. Speaking of…

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