Los Angeles Clippers key to success

Tobias Harris was traded, and a lot of people were pessimistic of the Clippers chances to make the playoffs.

It’s no secret that Lou Williams is a certified bucket getter, and the best player on the Clippers, Montrezl Harrell is the engine of the Clippers, and Patrick Beverley is the heart and soul of the Clippers, but how did they get here?

Lou Williams was born in Memphis, Tennessee. Lou went to South Gwinnett high school, where he was named Naismith Player of the Year. He was a five-star recruit by rivals.com. He had an outstanding high school career, ranking as the 3rd best shooting guard and 7th best player in the nation, in 2005. At first, Lou committed to playing at the University of Georgia but later decided to declare for the draft instead. Scouts were not impressed with Lou’s workout performances, which hurt his draft stock. Eventually, the Philadelphia 76ers drafted him, 45th overall. In his rookie season, Lou averaged just 1.9 points per game. In 2006, Lou played in the developmental league. He came back up to the NBA, in 2007, and he averaged 11.3 points, 3.2 assists, and 2 rebounds per game. After that season, Lou agreed to sign a 5-year, $25M deal to stay in Philadelphia. During the 2011-2012 season, Lou led the team in scoring, averaging 14.9 points. He came off the bench every single game and finished as the runner-up for Sixth Man of the Year. On July of 2012, Lou signed a deal with the Atlanta Hawks. Seven months later, he tore his ACL. As a result of that, in the 2013-2014 season, Lou missed a few games to start the season. He finished the season, averaging 10.4 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.1 rebounds. June of 2014, Lou was traded to the Toronto Raptors, and during that same season, on April of 2015, Lou won his first Sixth Man of the Year Award. On July of 2015, Lou signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. As a Lakers fan, I was very excited to see Lou in the purple and gold. He played with the Lakers for two seasons, averaging 16.8 points, 2.8 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and 1 steal per game. On February of 2017, Lou Williams was traded to the Houston Rockets for Corey Brewer and a first-round draft pick. Williams played in Houston for just 23 games, averaging 14.9 points, 2.4 assists, and 3 rebounds per game. Lou was then traded to the Los Angeles Clippers along with six other players including Montrezl Harrell and Patrick Beverley and a draft pick in exchange for Chris Paul. In the 2017-2018 season, Lou Williams had a career-season with the Clippers in points and assists, averaging 22.6 points and 5.3 assists, including 2.5 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game. Lou went on to win his second, Sixth Man of the year Award. In the 2018-2019 season, Lou led the Clippers to the playoffs, averaging a career high in assists, with 5.4 assists per game, along with 20 points and 3 rebounds per game, off the bench, yet again. He will likely win his second consecutive Sixth Man of the Year Award, and his third, Sixth Man of the Year Award of his career.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZ21G29eAos

Patrick Beverley was born in Chicago, Illinois. He attended John Marshall Metropolitan high school, where he averaged 37.3 points in his senior year and was named Co-Player of the Year. Beverley attended the University of Arkansas, averaging 13.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. Eventually, he was named Freshman of the Year by the SEC. In his sophomore year, Beverley averaged 12.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. After his sophomore year, in 2008, Beverley played overseas in Ukraine. He joined a team named Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. He signed a one-year contract, worth a little over $100,000. In 46 games, he averaged 16.7 points, 7 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.2 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game. In 2009, Beverley was automatically entered into the NBA draft. The Lakers selected Beverley with the 42nd overall pick. A day after the draft, the Heat acquired draft rights to Beverley. That same year, he signed with Olympiacos Piraeus in Greece, where he helped the team win the 2010 Greek Cup, and helped them reach the EuroLeague and Greek League finals. On July of 2010, Beverley joined the Heat for the Summer League, averaging 5.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 2.3 steals. On August of 2010, Beverley signed with the Heat, but he was released, two months later. On January of 2011, Beverley signed with Spartak St. Petersburg for the remainder of the 2010-2011 season. He played with Spartak St. Petersburg until 2013. On January of 2013, Beverley signed a two-year deal with the Houston Rockets. He spent 5 seasons in Houston, averaging 9.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.3 steals. The Rockets traded him, and six other players in exchange for Chris Paul. Beverley has found his role with the Clippers now, as the heart and soul of the team, like he was in Houston. Beverley averaged a career-high in scoring and steals in his first year with LA. He averaged 12.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. In the 2018-2019 season, Beverley averaged 7.6 points, 5 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. But, the stats for Beverley don’t tell the whole story. He guards the best in the game, such as LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, James Harden, etc., on a daily basis.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U23l720y7jM

Montrezl Harrell was born in Tarboro, North Carolina. He attended North Edgecombe High School, where he was the star player. After high school, he was prepping for a year at Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia. He led that team to a 38-1 record, averaging 25.2 points and 13.6 rebounds per game. Harrell committed to play at Virginia Tech, for coach Seth Greenberg. But, prior to Harrell going to Virginia Tech, coach Greenberg was fired. Harrell was released from his commitment to Virginia Tech and chose to attend Louisville. In Harrell’s first season at Louisville, he was the backup power forward, playing just 16.2 minutes per game, averaging 5.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Harrell helped Louisville win the 2013 NCAA Championship as well. In the 2014-2015 season, Harrell saw an increase in playing time, due to the departure of Gorgui Dieng. He averaged 15.7 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. At the end of the season, Harrell received the Karl Malone Award for the nation’s top power forward. In June of 2015, the Houston Rockets drafted Harrell 32nd overall. Four months after getting drafted, Harrell signed a three-year deal with the Rockets. He never got a chance to prove himself in Houston. In the 2017 off-season, Harrell, six other players, and a first-round draft pick were traded to the Clippers in exchange for Chris Paul. Harrell has a more prominent role with the Clippers now. Last season, Harrell was a backup center to DeAndre Jordan, he averaged 11 points and 4 rebounds per game, in 17 minutes of play. This season, Harrell has flourished in his role with LA. He averaged 16.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in 26.3 minutes of play. Harrell has been consistent this season, coming off the bench, along with Lou Williams. Harrell is the second best player on the Clippers, and if there were a seventh man of the year Award, Harrell would win that Award, unanimously.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUoc9seP1K0

As I said, Lou Williams is the best player on the Clippers, a certified bucket getter, and will likely be the Sixth Man of the Year once again. Patrick Beverley is the definition of heart over height and first team all-defense. Harrell’s energy is unmatched. His perseverance and tenacity are second to none. Lou, Beverley, and Harrell, all play with a chip on their shoulders, because of the amount of times they’ve been traded, played overseas, or got little to no play time, at a certain point in their careers.

Now, they have led the Clippers to the playoffs, they’ve defeated the Warriors twice in Golden State, and have a chance to extend this series to 7 games tonight. I believe in Lou, Beverley, and Harrell, because they don’t give up for the full 48 minutes of play. This team was expected to get swept before the series even started. Now, everyone is talking about a possible Game 7 between the Clippers and Warriors. Lou, Beverley, and Harrell have gone through there own obstacles, but they have overcome them, and now showcasing their talent in the playoffs.

By: Levon Satamian