Los Angeles Clippers: 3 big questions heading into 2018-19 NBA season
By Justin Rowan
3. Can Tobias Harris be the lead option?
It’s no secret that the Clippers will be heading into the 2018-19 NBA season without a star player. The team tested the waters in free agency this season, but has shifted its focus to next summer. In the immediate future, Tobias Harris will need to shoulder a significant portion of the scoring load.
Harris has flown under the radar over the past few years. The forward has put up respectable scoring numbers for multiple teams with good efficiency. After coming over to the Clippers at the trade deadline, Harris put up 19.3 points per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the floor and 41.4 percent from behind the arc.
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One of the more undervalued things a player can be in today’s NBA is an offensive workhorse. We tend to look at individual impact and efficiency, without factoring in the effect shouldering that load can have on teammates.
If Harris can increase his volume, even at the expense of some efficiency, it can help establish a natural pecking order for his teammates. Rather than asking everybody to do more than they’re capable of, Harris can shoulder that burden so everybody else can make up the difference in the team’s overall efficiency.
If Harris can step up and be that lead option, things will begin to fall into place for L.A. The team also has Lou Williams, who can provide a secondary scoring punch and probably would benefit from a reduced load from last season.
If those two can fill those roles effectively, it allows the Clippers’ guards to let the game come to them rather than forcing the issue.
The Clippers have shooters, multiple ball-handlers, and a solid pick-and-roll threat in Marcin Gortat. If Harris can be the lead option offensively, they should have enough weapons to repeat as a top-10 offense.