Top 20
Here are my picks for the top 20 Los Angeles Clippers of all time. The Clippers started for the 1970-71 season as the Buffalo Braves, then moved to San Diego for the 1978-79 season, and then finally ended up in Los Angeles for the 1984-85 season. In the Clippers 54 seasons, they have only made the playoffs 17 times and have never been to the finals.
20. Swen Nater
Nater played 6 seasons for the Clippers with career averages of 12.9 PPG, 11.6 RPG, and 2.2 APG. He was a 1x TRB Champ. Nater is better known for his time in the ABA, but when the NBA-ABA merger happened he was shipped to the Bucks and then went to the Clippers for his prime. He was an outstanding rebounder and solid scorer, and while he never was able to make the playoffs with the Clippers he was not to blame because he tried his best and the right pieces were never presented to him or some of the other better players that will be mentioned later. Had he made the playoffs or have some accolades he could have gone higher, but that's not to take away the time he did have with the Clippers.
19. Terry Cummings
Cummings played just 2 seasons for the Clippers with career averages of 23.3 PPG, 10.1 RPG, and 2.1 APG. He was an All-Rookie Team member, and a ROY winner. While most people will recognize Cummings for his time with the Bucks were he would be an All-Star Cummings started his career with the Clippers and then was traded which I imagine they probably regret. Terry Cummings was an outstanding scorer, an amazing rebounder, and a great all-around defender. Had Terry stayed longer he would go much higher on this list because I imagine he would have been one of the best Clippers in their history.
18. Norm Nixon
Norm played 4 seasons for the Clippers with career averages of 14.6 PPG, 2.4 RPG, and 9.0 APG. He was a 1x NBA All-Star. Norm was a solid scorer, amazing passer, and solid perimeter defender. Norm probably would have had a different outcome with the Clippers had he not had back-to-back season ending injuries which made him not the same player when he came back. Had he made the playoffs or hadn't got injured he could go higher however he was still a great player for the Clippers during his short time with them.
17. Lamar Odom
Odom played 5 seasons for the Clippers with career averages of 12.8 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 3.8 APG. He was an All-Rookie Team member. While Odom's stats may not be super impressive it doesn't really tell the whole story Odom was one of the first "point-fowards" meaning he was a 6'10" PG. He was one of the rare players that was solid around and while he was never able to be an All-Star or any Defensive Teams he was still very good and had he been apart of some better Clipper teams he could go higher.
16. Corey Maggette
Corey played 8 seasons for the Clippers with career averages of 17.3 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 2.4 APG. Corey was an explosive scorer and solid rebounder. While he doesn't have any accolades with the Clippers, but he is however in the top 10 in 7 of the Clippers career leaders which shows his impact with the team and he also helped the Clippers get to the second round of the playoffs which no one below him on this list has done. Had Corey made an All-Star team he could have more than likely made the top 12, however he did what he did and was still a fan favorite for most Clipper fans.
15. World B. Free
Free played just 2 seasons for the Clippers with career averages of 29.4 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 4.3 APG. He was a 1x NBA All-Star, and a 1x All-NBA Team member. Free was an outstanding scorer and solid passer. While World B. Free was only with the Clippers for 2 seasons he sure made his presence felt had he stayed a couple of more seasons and the Clippers built around him instead of trading him away who knows what the potential of the Clippers could have been because he was an absolute demon on offense and could have been the best player in Clippers history. Had Free made the playoffs I would feel better about putting him higher, but since he didn't make the playoffs him stats don't feel as important as some of the players higher than him.
14. Ron Harper
Ron played 4 seasons for the Clippers with career averages of 19.3 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 4.8 APG. Ron had no accolades, but he is 6th in total assists in the regular season, and 4th in total steals in the regular season during his career with the Clippers. Ron Harper is more known for his time with the Bulls, but before he went there he was an absolute killer for the Clippers being and great scorer, rebounder, and passer not to mention how amazing he was on defense. I had him this high because unlike most of the people below him Ron has playoff experience while still only 10 games its still more than anybody below him. Had Ron made an All-Star team or made some All-Defensive Teams he could go higher.
13. JJ Redick
JJ played 4 seasons for the Clippers with career averages of 15.8 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 1.6 RPG. JJ had no accolades, but he led the NBA in 3P% at 48%. While JJ's stats don't say much that doesn't tell the full story because he was very important to the Clippers and he constantly delivered and helped the Clippers constantly make the playoffs playing 40 games in the playoffs which is the 6th most in Clipper history. JJ is one of the role players that every team could use and while he may not have been an All-Star he was more important than everyone below him which is why I have him this high.
12. Chris Kaman
Kaman played 8 seasons for the Clippers with career averages of 11.8 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 1.3 APG. He was a 1x NBA All-Star. Kaman was an outstanding defender and rebounder, while also being a solid scorer when he was asked to do so. Chris Kaman's contributions were huge for the Clippers and help stabilize the team's front-court problems. I have Chris Kaman this high because unlike most people below him he has playoff experience and actually had accolades which most players don't have on this list.
11. Jamal Crawford
Crawford played 5 seasons for the Clippers with career averages of 15.3 PPG, 1.8 RPG, and 2.5 APG. He was a 2x 6MOY. Jamal Crawford was one of the best bench scorers in NBA history and also had one of the best handles in the league for many years. I decided to put Crawford right outside of the top 10 because I feel like other than his scoring he didn't really give a team anything else however his off the bench scoring was so important for so many games especially in the playoffs.
10. Lou Williams
Lou played 4 seasons for the Clippers with career averages of 19.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG, and 5.1 APG. He was a 2x 6MOY. Sweet Lou is also in the discussion for one of the best bench scorer and one of the best off the bench players in general and he has very very strong case being that he averaged over 20 PPG off the bench for multiple seasons. Lou Williams is a very similar player as Jamal Crawford however Lou was a much better playmaker and was a more efficient scorer than Jamal Crawford and I just feel that Lou Williams was more valuable than Jamal Crawford, but these to players are kind of interchangeable.
9. Danny Manning
Manning played 6 seasons for the Clippers with career averages of 19.1 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 3.0 APG. He was a 2x NBA All-Star. Danny was a great scorer and outstanding all-around defender and for his size was a solid playmaker. Danny Manning was the 1st overall pick in the 1988 Draft and had tons of hype to be one of the best forwards in the league sadly he had a rough start with an injury in his rookie season however he was able to overcome it and would get better almost every season. It would have been interesting to see how good he could've been if the Clippers had kept him instead of trading him for a 34 year old Dominique Wilkins who left in Free Agency making that trade kind of pointless. I have Manning this high because skill wise he's the best on the list so far and he's in the top 10 in most of the Clippers Career Leaders in the regular season.
8. Randy Smith
Randy played 9 seasons for the Clippers with career averages of 17.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 4.9 APG. He was a 2x NBA All-Star, a 1x All-Star Game MVP, and a 1x All-NBA Team member. A often underrated player in NBA history, Randy was a huge component in the early success of the Clippers franchise. He was an athletic and versatile G/F, and was consistently impacting games with his scoring ability and great defense. I have Randy Smith this high because he is the Clippers leader in a ton of the categories and because of how long he was with the Clippers which most of the other Clippers barely played more than 5 seasons.
7. Elton Brand
Brand played 7 seasons for the Clippers with career averages of 20.3 PPG, 10.3 RPG, and 2.7 APG. He was a 2x NBA All-Star, and a 1x All-NBA Team member. Elton was a great scorer, an outstanding rebounder, and a hugely underrated all-round defender with averages of 1.0 SPG, and 2.3 BPG. The fact the Elton Brand never made any All-Defensive Teams is super shocking especially since he finished top 10 in DPOY voting one season. Had the Clippers built a better team around Brand or if they had made the playoffs more he could've had way more recognition to get more accolades which he definitely deserved, with that being said that is the main reason why I can't put him any higher than this.
6. Paul George
George so far has played 5 seasons for the Clippers with career averages of 23.0 PPG, 6.0 RPG, and 4.5 APG. He so far is a 3x NBA All-Star, and a 1x All-NBA Team member with the Clippers. PG13 is a special type of player being one of the best all-around players in the NBA today. He's a great iso scorer and catch and shoot scorer, a solid rebounder and playmaker. and an outstanding defender with the Clippers so far. Sadly Paul George and Kawhi Leonard have struggled to stay healthy which has made this experience for Clipper fans somewhat annoying, but injuries happen and this season is there best chance to win the championship if their big three can stay healthy in the playoffs. Even though it could be too soon to have Paul George this high I feel he has earned it especially when he led the Clippers to their first Conference Finals appearance and probably could've made it to the finals had Kawhi not gotten injured in the previous round.
5. Deandre Jordan
Jordan played 10 seasons for the Clippers with career averages of 9.4 PPG, 10.7 RPG, and .7 APG. He was a 2x TRB Champ, a 1x NBA All-Star, a 2x All-Defensive Team member, and a 3x All-NBA Team member. Don't let Jordan's stats fool you he was way better that what his statistics suggest because while he was never asked to score or be a playmaker he was outstanding at rebounding and post defending. He was also was super efficient leading the NBA and FG% for 5 straight seasons. I have Deandre Jordan this high because of just how much playoff experience he had and while he may not have won a championship they sure try and you could argue that it wasn't because of Deandre Jordan.
4. Kawhi Leonard
Kawhi so far has played 4 seasons for the Clippers with career averages of 24.8 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and 4.4 APG. So far he is a 3x NBA All-Star, a 1x All-Star Game MVP, a 2x All-Defensive Team member, and a 2x All-NBA Team member. Kawhi is a special type of player he is a great efficient scorer, an outstanding all-around defender, and solid rebounder for a SF. Technical he has been with the Clippers for 5 seasons but injuries have really slowed him down as mention before when I talked about Paul George and with that being said his time with the Clippers hasn't been anything crazy minus when he was the main factor for getting the Clippers into the Western Conference Finals. Sadly he was injured in the round before which is tough because if he hadn't got injured they could have made the finals and possibly won the championship. This reason I have Kawhi this high is because when he's out of the lineup you can physically tell the team is WAY worse which shows just how valuable this man is.
3. Blake Griffin
Griffin played 8 seasons for the Clippers with career averages of 21.6 PPG, 9.3 RPG, and 4.2 APG. He was an All-Rookie Team member, a ROY, a 5x NBA All-Star, and a 4x All-NBA Team member. Griffin was a super athletic scoring machine with very high energy which helped him grab tons of rebounds, and he was also a solid defender. Poor Blake this man is a prime example of injuries destroying a career because Blake Griffin had sky high potential and while he was able to play at a high level for 5 years straight injuries started to pile up and slow him down until eventually the Clippers traded him away right after signing him to a huge contract which was surprising considering he could've give them a couple more good seasons more than likely which is what he did for Detroit. I have Blake Griffin this high because of how long he played for the Clippers and he has one of the highest VORP, and WS as a Clipper which are very important stats to look at to verify how important someone really is and his show that he easily deserves to be top 3.
2. Bob McAdoo
Bob played 5 seasons for the Clippers with career averages of 28.2 PPG, 12.7 RPG, and 2.6 APG. He was apart of the All-Rookie Team, also winning ROY, a 3x Scoring Champion, a 3x NBA All-Star, a 2x All-NBA Team member, and a 1x regular season MVP. Bob McAdoo was a mega efficient scoring machine from the paint all the way to the mid-range, he was also a outstanding rebounder, and heavily underrated all-around defender averaging over 3 BPG one season and always over a 1 SPG. Sadly Bob was never able to win a championship with the Clippers and had contract extension's conflict hadn't occurred who knows what could have happened because Bob McAdoo is a HOF PF/C and could've saved this franchise from being "cursed" as some Clippers fans say their team is. I decided to have Bob over Griffin because in my opinion I think Bob was just way more important than Griffin because Bob was the best player on his team while you could argue Griffin was the 2nd best player behind Chris Paul.
1. Chris Paul
CP3 played 6 seasons for the Clippers with career averages of 18.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 9.8 APG. He was a 2x Assist Champion, a 3x Steal Champion, a 5x NBA All-Star, a 1x NBA All-Star MVP, a 6x All-Defensive Team member, and a 5x All-NBA Team Member. This shouldn't be too much of a debate because Chris Paul was a great scorer and playmaker, and was and still is one of the best perimeter defenders. Chris Paul sadly could never get his team to the Western Conference Finals however he was still such a major impact being he finished top 8 in MVP voting almost every season with the Clippers and as of before the 23-24 playoffs he leads the Clippers with the most total points, assists, steals, and 3-pointers. He was as the highest WS, and VORP. I ultimately decided Chris Paul over Bob McAdoo because Chris Paul played way more games in the playoffs and as I said before he has the highest WS, and VORP which shows how valuable a player is and is a very important stat.
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