Here are the three most important players for the LA Clippers not named Kawhi Leonard or Paul George.
All of Clipper Nation knows just how important Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are to the LA Clippers and their playoff chances. But after those two stars are the next most important players on this roster?
There are a ton of choices. We have Patrick Beverley, Marcus Morris, Ivica Zubac, Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell, Reggie Jackson, JaMychal Green, and Landry Shamet likely getting the majority of the team’s minutes. All are important and will have roles to fill, so limiting this list to just three is tough. That being said, here are my top three choices.
Patrick Beverley
The heart and soul of this team, Beverley could even matter just as much as Kawhi and PG. Obviously, Bev brings the energy and the team goes as he does. We all know that and expect him to get up for these playoffs.
Bev is important on both sides of the floor as an elite defender and spot-up shooter. This season, he is averaging just 7.9 points but has found other ways to help, including averaging a career-high in rebounds (5.2 per game).
In the first round alone, Beverley will at times draw the most important defensive matchup against Luka Doncic. If he’s not on him, he’ll be facing off against the likes of Seth Curry.
I really don’t think it’s his defense that will be the key factor though. It’s his offense. Teams will likely be focusing all of their attention on the Clippers’ superstar duo. What that means for Beverley (and Marcus Morris) is that he will need to knock down his open threes and be aggressive attacking the rim. Bev only averaged 1.5 shots per game at distances less than five feet.
The team’s offense really opens up when Bev is aggressive and he’s attacking. Defenses will start to pull away from the two stars, giving them more space to operate. If Bev’s offensive game is clicking, there just isn’t anything opposing teams can do to slow the Clippers down.