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Los Angeles Clippers: Top 10 moments of the 2018-19 NBA season

By Daniel Lubofsky

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 15: Danilo Gallinari #8 of the LA Clippers high-fives Lou Williams #23 of the LA Clippers against the Chicago Bulls on March 15, 2019 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 2019 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 15: Danilo Gallinari #8 of the LA Clippers high-fives Lou Williams #23 of the LA Clippers against the Chicago Bulls on March 15, 2019 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 2019 NBAE (Photo by Adam Pantozzi/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images)
(Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images) /

8. Tobias Harris wins Player of the Month

Clippers fans weren’t overly high on the arrival of Tobias Harris upon his acquisition in January of 2018. A productive offensive option he was, but nowhere near the talent of the man he was traded for in Blake Griffin.

Griffin didn’t just leave the only NBA franchise he’d ever known, but his exile left L.A. without a traditional center for its offense to run through. Whether he liked it or not, Harris was unofficially chosen to fill those shoes in a way he’d never previously done since entering the league back in 2011.

The second half of the 2017-18 season was an introduction to Tobias’ inside-out versatile style of scoring. It was this past campaign where he truly came into his own as arguably the Clippers’ go-to guy in the starting lineup.

He wasted little time in endearing himself to the fans out in Los Angeles during the first few games of the season. Come November, Harris turned it up a notch to the tune of 22.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per game on a shooting line of .544/.478/.861. It would be his highest-scoring month on the year and would help the Clippers to a sparkling 11-3 record during those 30 days.

The record was a surprise to just about everyone who pegged L.A. as a middle-of-the-pack team due to its lack of star power. For his efforts in leading his new team to such success with individual greatness of his own, Harris was awarded the NBA’s Player of the Month Award for November.

That monthly honor is routinely given out to the true superstars of the game, yet Tobias managed to squeeze his way onto a list including prestigious names like James Harden and Joel Embiid. It was a validation of sorts for a player who, despite his talent, has been traded now four times in his relatively short career, including this past deadline by L.A. to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Griffin will always hold a special place in the hearts of Clippers fans everywhere with a style and personality difficult to replicate. Harris didn’t spend much time in Los Angeles, but he took on his new role in stride and was rewarded for it in ways he probably never thought possible.

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