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Los Angeles Clippers: 3 candidates for a breakout season in 2018-19

By Aymin Bakr

LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 11: Tobias Harris #34 of the LA Clippers handles the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 11, 2018 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 11: Tobias Harris #34 of the LA Clippers handles the ball against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 11, 2018 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /

1. Tobias Harris

As mentioned before, Tobias Harris declined the five-year extension that he was offered earlier this year. He will now be eligible to earn a max offer of $188 million over five years from the Clippers or $145 million from other teams. Coming off arguably the best season of his career, Harris is set to make a name for himself as one of the best combo forwards in the game.

The 6’8″, 227-pound forward played in just 32 games with the Clippers last season after playing his first 48 in Detroit. After the Harris-Griffin trade, he averaged an elite 19.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.2 steals per game.

He shot an extremely impressive 47.3 percent from the field and an eye-catching 41.4 percent from beyond the arc. The small sample size is still fairly accurate of his abilities because he averaged an eerily similar statline during his 48 games in Detroit before the trade. He put up 18.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game on 45.1 percent shooting from the field and 40.8 percent shooting from beyond the arc, so the 32 games don’t seem to be too skewed.

In addition, Harris was one of six players in the entire NBA this past season that averaged over 18 points and shot over 40 percent from beyond the arc. The other five were Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Paul George, Kyrie Irving and Karl Anthony-Towns. Harris and Towns were the only two of the bunch that were able to achieve this feat in under five attempts per game.

Tobias Harris is the second option on a fast-paced Clippers team that now has a clear playmaker in Gilgeous-Alexander. He is extremely efficient and can do virtually everything on the court at either forward slot. He can grab rebounds and push the floor as well as make some plays from time to time. While he’s not that great of a defender, he’s athletic enough to stay in front of opposition and he’s got the shared keys to the offense to make a big enough impact with his efficient play.

dark. Next. Complete 2018 offseason grades for all 30 NBA teams

Tobias Harris has the tools and the opportunity to turn into a legitimate NBA star this season and has the motivation to do so. He will get the chance to prove he’s worth a max contract and if last season is any indication, he should capitalize on that opportunity.

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