Los Angeles Clippers: Early returns on Tobias Harris
The biggest piece that the Los Angeles Clippers got back in the Blake Griffin trade was Tobias Harris. Here is a look at Harris after six games in L.A.
The Los Angeles Clippers traded away Blake Griffin just over a week before the trade deadline. The team curiously decided not to make any other trades after that, as it signed Lou Williams to an extension and kept DeAndre Jordan around despite of his expiring contract.
The blockbuster Griffin trade completely reshaped the roster. One of the players involved in the trade (Boban Marjanovic) has only been on the court for one inbounds play in a Clippers uniform. The other two players involved in the deal, however, have started in all of their games since coming to Los Angeles.
The centerpiece of the Griffin trade from the Clippers’ perspective was Tobias Harris. Harris is in the midst of a breakout season, playing the best basketball of his career before the trade. His early play with the Clippers is certainly encouraging. Harris will play a major role in the team’s stretch run, and in their potential push for the playoffs.
A true combo forward
The Los Angeles Clippers assembled what looked like a top-tier frontcourt in the offseason by adding Danilo Gallinari to Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan up front. The three played well together during the brief stretch when they were all healthy. However, the setup did not give the team much positional flexibility. Griffin could not get many minutes as a small-ball center, and Gallo is more suited to play power forward on the defensive end.
While losing Griffin is undoubtedly a big blow for the team to endure, Tobias Harris can offer the positional flexibility that the team lacked prior to the trade. Harris played mostly power forward in Detroit but has started at small forward for all six of his games thus far in Los Angeles. He has the speed to cover quicker wings, but the size to guard bigger forwards when necessary.
In his first six games in Los Angeles, Tobias Harris is averaging 17.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game. He is a solid isolation player who can score from anywhere on the floor.
The biggest motivator behind Harris’ breakout season is his vastly improved shooting from beyond the arc. Harris is shooting a career-high 40.2 percent from deep on 5.7 attempts per game. He had never attempted more than four triples a game before this year. Although he has only made 10 of his 30 attempts from deep in Los Angeles, the sample size of the rest of his season is certainly a positive sign — as was his third-place finish in the 3-Point Contest.
Future outlook
The Los Angeles Clippers could be on the brink of a massive offseason overhaul. DeAndre Jordan has a player option for next season. Jordan might decide to pick up that option given the expected dearth of money available in free agency this year. However, Jordan is far more likely to opt out of that final year to seek out his options in free agency.
While Jordan’s status might be up in the air (and Avery Bradley‘s status is certainly in question given his expiring deal), Tobias Harris is locked in for at least one more season. Although the Clippers might have hoped for more long-term assets in return for Griffin, they will at least have Harris for more than 30 games.
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Tobias Harris is in the midst of a breakout season at age 25. His versatility and developing long range game make him a valuable asset. If he can maintain his strong play down the stretch run of the season, he could be the X-factor that pushes the Clippers into the playoff picture.