Los Angeles Clippers: 5 bold predictions for 2017-18 NBA season
By Simon Smith
4. Sam Dekker enjoys a breakout season as a Clipper
The 3-spot has long been a source of contention for the Clippers in recent seasons.
From last season’s roster alone, gone are veterans Luc Mbah a Moute, Paul Pierce and Alan Anderson. Furthermore, the aforementioned Crawford also spent some time there during his time in Los Angeles.
Granted, the signing of Gallinari fills a big void in this area. However, at 6’10”, and with the way the modern game is being played, he’s expected to also see some minutes at the 4-spot, with Griffin being able to slide over and play the 5.
Enter Sam Dekker, a piece of the enormous deal that saw Paul head to Houston.
Having missed almost his entire rookie campaign due to a back injury, Dekker emerged last season to provide a valuable contribution as part of the Rockets’ second unit. In 77 games, Dekker averaged 6.5 points and 3.7 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per game. Furthermore, in the first of two starting appearances for the season, Dekker simply excelled.
Playing 35 minutes, Dekker notched 30 points, five rebounds and two steals, which included shooting 6-of-11 from 3-point range.
Encouragingly for Decker and the Clippers, when he received additional playing time, he certainly made the most of his opportunities. Over the eight games in which he played at least 27 minutes, Dekker averaged 14.5 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, which included shooting at a 55.9 percent clip from the field.
Naturally, adjusting to a new system and teammates is going to take some time, and Dekker is obviously not alone in this area with the Clippers this season. But with a raft of key players leaving combined with a fresh set circumstances, look for Dekker to mark his first year in Los Angeles with a breakout season.