The 2017-18 season for the Los Angeles Clippers was similar to Space Mountain at Disneyland. A fun ride that took turns you didn’t really expect. Throughout the course of the season the following happened: Every day one starter missed extended time with various injuries, including an early season-ending injury to Patrick Beverley and lengthy, nagging injuries to both Danilo Gallinari and Milos Teodosic.
They traded away their franchise player in Blake Griffin for a lottery pick and two future Clipper starters in Tobias Harris and Avery Bradley. They had the most unlikely star player, maybe ever, in Lou Williams who won his second Sixth Man of the Year award. Their locker room was nearly infiltrated by members of the Houston Rockets after a win that went viral. The Rockets then enacted revenge by turning Wesley Johnson’s poor ankles into pudding a few weeks later.
They had multiple G League players starting games and playing extended minutes, the most starting lineup changes in the league and constant rumors of Deandre Jordan being traded at the deadline.
All of this and the Clippers still managed to produce a winning record at 42-40. They also contended for the eighth seed in the West until the last week of the season. For anyone watching, it was an incredibly fun season, given all the up’s-and-down’s.
With new board member, and successful team builder, Jerry West now at the helm, you had a feeling that this offseason would be a roller-coaster as well. He has not disappointed.
First, he traded away guard Austin Rivers for Wizards center Marcin Gortat. In doing this, basically cemented that Mr. Clipper, Deandre Jordan, would be leaving for the Dallas Mavericks, which he eventually did. West then signed another Wizard in Mike Scott to a one-year deal and later signed former Clipper starter Luc Richard Mbah A Moute to a one year, mid-level exception deal.
The Clips also re-signed Avery Bradley and Montrezl Harrell to two-year deals and kept Teodosic on the squad despite heavy rumors that they would not keep him on a team option.
Along with their two first-round lottery picks, in Kentucky’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Boston College’s Jerome Robinson, this offseason has been busy for the Clippers. I take a look at three questions that the Clippers must answer if they want the 2018-19 season to be a successful one.
Next Up: What Are They Going to do With All of These Guards?
