Los Angeles Clippers: 3 players facing the most pressure in 2018-19
By Aymin Bakr
3. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
No, Gilgeous-Alexander was not a top-five pick in the draft and isn’t expected to be an All-Star caliber player right away. He’s also on a team that is currently stuck somewhere in the middle of being a playoff team and nearing the bottom of the ladder. However, as a lottery pick on a team with no true playmaker, the 6’6″ guard will be expected to be a top contributor.
Talents like Lou Williams and Tobias Harris will lead the way for the most part, so the young rookie won’t be expected to virtually carry the team. However, he’ll most likely be the starting point guard and will need to be a consistent playmaker, scorer and leader in order to run the offense. Williams will likely continue to come off the bench, so the rookie will be getting a lot of experience as the primary ball-handler.
Very few expect Gilgeous-Alexander to play like a star right away, but the majority of people do expect that he’ll be a consistent starting point guard because he was picked in the lottery. As opposed to late first or even second round picks, lottery picks often don’t get as much time from fans to develop. This means that most people will expect him to be a high-level player by his second or third season at the latest.
Throw in the fact that the Clippers initially selected Miles Bridges with the 11th pick and the pressure builds up even more. Not only will Gilgeous-Alexander need to prove his ability to run the offense effectively, but he’ll have to prove that he was the right pick over Bridges. In hindsight, a lot of Clippers fans seem to like the trade to get SGA, as the team needed a starting point guard, but the point still remains.
The rookie won’t be bombarded with superstar level expectations right away and he won’t need to carry the team. He will, however, need to make the franchise look good after the trade and prove he can be a long-term starting point guard in this league.