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LA Clippers: Deciding who belongs on the All-Time First Team

Seth Kimbrell|
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 16: The LA Clippers Hoop Troop celebrates after the game against the Orlando Magic on January 16, 2020 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2020 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 16: The LA Clippers Hoop Troop celebrates after the game against the Orlando Magic on January 16, 2020 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2020 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
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LA Clippers Blake Griffin
Blake Griffin LA Clippers (Photo by Lisa Blumenfeld/Getty Images)

Forwards

Blake Griffin and Elton Brand

Two members of Lob City make the cut on the First Team. As a Clipper, Blake Griffin put up 21.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 8 years (not counting his lost rookie season).

To many people, Blake Griffin is the number one Clipper of all time, and it can be tough to disagree with that sentiment. Looking back, drafting Griffin was the turning point that put the Clippers on the road to becoming contenders.

We watched Blake morph from an uber-athlete who wasn’t terribly useful outside the paint into a dominating inside-out scorer who could hit a shot from just about anywhere. He only averaged fewer than 20 points in one season, and by the end of his Clippers tenure, he had bumped his assist totals up to the 5 per game region.

During his Clippers tenure, Blake also helped take the team to the playoffs 6 times, which nearly doubled the team’s all-time total of 7 pre-Blake.

The stats back it up. The playoff appearances back it up. The time spent with the team backs it up. Blake is one of the, if not the, greatest Clippers to play.

Elton Brand takes the second Forward spot here. One of the great forwards of the 2000s that I feel like doesn’t get enough attention, Elton averaged 20.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists as a Clipper.

Brand was a very efficient scorer with the Clippers, shooting below 45% from the field only once and shooting in the 70%s from the free-throw line every year. He led the team in win shares in every year except the last one.

He wouldn’t find much success in the win column, going above .500 only once, in 2005-2006 when the team lost in 7 games in the conference semifinals to Steve Nash‘s suns.

That said, it’s hard to fault Elton too much for that. He scored efficiently and played at least a neutral level of defense. For those reasons, he claims his spot on the First Team.

Honorable mention at forward has to go to Kawhi Leonard. He may be the best player to ever put on a Clippers jersey, and his time with the team is basically the only thing keeping him off First Team for me.