While the Los Angeles Clippers came up short in their ultimate goal of winning an NBA championship during the 2010s, the franchise did see their best stretch of winning seasons ever, and their all-decade team reflects this. Their lineups often feature more guard-centric combinations, which is reflected in their all-decade team.
During the 2010s, the Clippers made the playoffs in seven of the 10 seasons which matches the number of playoff appearances in their previous 39 seasons.
Best of the Los Angeles Clippers from the 2010s
Los Angeles Clippers All-Decade Team – Starters
Guard – Chris Paul
The Clippers acquired future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul via trade with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2011. That trade signaled a significant change in philosophy for the franchise as they had been the laughing stock of the NBA for as long as most could remember. Acquiring Paul showed the Clippers were going to start competing for the playoffs, annually.
Paul was sent to the Clippers during the prime of his incredible NBA career and the Clippers were immediate threats in the West. While they were never able to quite get over the hump, it wasn’t due to Paul’s play. He had an amazing six-year stretch in Los Angeles and made the All-Star team in five of those seasons. Paul had per-game averages of 18.8 points and 9.8 assists with the Clippers.
Guard – J.J. Redick
Believe it or not, J.J. Redick was the ultimate fit on the “Lob City” Clippers. Obviously Redick is known for his marksmanship from three-point range so his fit with the “Lob City” Clippers may be a bit puzzling to some. What he did was open up the floor for the high-flying finishers such as Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.
Redick also benefitted greatly from having such dynamic finishers around him. He was able to get many more open looks due to defenses sagging in to help on lobs. That was a losing proposition for many defenses as Redick nailed an incredible 44 percent of his 5.8 three-point attempts over four seasons with the Clippers. The fit next to Paul, Griffin, and Jordan was perfect for both Redick and for the Clippers.
Guard – Jamal Crawford
The NBA’s ultimate sixth-man, Jamal Crawford, gets the nod as a starter with the Los Angeles Clippers all-decade team. Crawford, a three-time NBA Sixth-Man of the Year award winner, won two while he played his home games in the Staples Center.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noX6NHVcGGw
Crawford is one of the best ball-handlers the NBA has ever seen. A lot of times it didn’t matter who was defending him, he was going to get to his space, and he was going to score.
In five seasons with the Clippers, Crawford averaged 15.3 points-per-game coming off of the bench.
Forward – Blake Griffin
The Clippers selected Griffin with the number one overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. Griffin injured his knee in summer league prior to what would have been his rookie year and missed the entire season. The next season, 2010-11, he came back and put on a show as he averaged 22.5 points and 12.1 rebounds. He was named an All-Star and won the NBA Rookie of the Year. Not only were his numbers incredible, but he was also a human highlight reel.
Griffin’s inclusion on the Los Angeles Clippers all-decade team isn’t just due to his incredible highlights and numbers (21.6 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 4.2 assists) with the Clippers. He also, along with Paul, helped changed the losing culture within the franchise. The Clippers fanbase now expects to be competing in the Western Conference.
Center – DeAndre Jordan
Jordan was Griffin’s partner in crime when it came to dunking on people. He has perhaps, the nastiest poster ever when he dunked on Brandon Knight.
Jordan was also a culture changer in Los Angeles. He brought great leadership to a franchise that always seemed to lack high-quality leaders. Jordan was also one of the best defenders and rebounders in the NBA during his tenure with the Clippers.
Although he only made one All-Star appearance, Jordan was named to three All-NBA teams, two All-NBA defensive teams, and was the league leader in rebounds twice. Over 10 seasons with the Clippers he held per-game averages of 9.4 points and 10.7 rebounds.
Los Angeles Clippers All-Decade Team – Bench
Guard – Austin Rivers
The number 10 overall pick in 2012 NBA Draft appeared to be on his way to busting out of the league, quickly. However, Austin Rivers turned it around when he made his way to the Clippers and turned into a solid bench scorer. While he hasn’t lived up to his lofty expectations as a top-five recruit in his high-school class, or a top 10 pick in the NBA Draft, he has carved out a solid career.
In four seasons with the Clippers, Rivers averaged 11.1 points-per-game in mainly a reserve role.
Guard – Patrick Beverley
Point guard Patrick Beverley is in the middle of just his third season for the Clippers and his counting stats are nothing to write home about as he has per-game averages are 8.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. His leadership and bulldog mentality on defense have helped keep the Clippers relevant in the post-Paul era.
His mentality rubs off on his teammates. Beverley is never one to shy away from a challenge and regardless of size he often takes on the toughest challenge defensively. His inclusion on the Clippers all-decade team is a no-brainer.
Forward – Matt Barnes
Matt Barnes is a player in the same mold as Beverley. He never put up enormous numbers but his importance to the teams he played on was enormous. Barnes always took on the challenge of defending the opposing team’s best wing scorer and was a solid spot-up shooter as he nailed nearly 35 percent of his 3.9 attempts per game over four seasons with the franchise.
Forward – Danilo Gallinari
The New York Knicks selected Italian forward Danilo Gallinari with the sixth pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. While he hasn’t quite lived up to those expectations, mostly due to injury, he has shown he is a fantastic scorer in the NBA. Despite only playing two seasons for the Clippers, his inclusion on their all-decade team is due to his high volume scoring.
The story in Los Angeles was the same in all of his other NBA stops, however. He only appeared in 89 of 164 games due to injury. In those 89 games, he averaged 18.7 points and 5.8 rebounds.
Center – Montrezl Harrell
A couple of players on the bench for the Clippers all-decade team haven’t lived up to their lofty draft expectations. That isn’t the case for undersized center Montrezl Harrell. The Houston Rockets selected Harrell with the 32nd pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Harrell really hit his stride when he came to the Clippers prior to the 2017-18 season.
Over the course of three seasons in Los Angeles, Harrell has continued to increases his career highs in points and rebounds each season. He has per-game averages of 15.2 points and 5.8 rebounds during his Clippers tenure.
Main Photo
Embed from Getty Images
