Ranking the LA Clippers' 17 Most Important Players Ahead of the NBA Restart

Before the LA Clippers face off with the Los Angeles Lakers on July 30 to begin the NBA restart, we rank all 17 players on the roster in order of importance.

We're almost there, LA Clippers fans.

After a four-month hiatus, we're finally just three weeks away from the NBA restart's opening night, which will prominently feature the Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers as the headline act. 

But before we start talking about games, it couldn't hurt to get reacquainted with LA's roster. So in doing so, we'll be ranking each member of the team in order of their importance to the Clippers' ultimate goal of winning the NBA title.

Let's not waste any time.

No. 17: Johnathan Motley

Two-way signee Johnathan Motley put together another incredible season for the Agua Caliente Clippers in 2019-2020, averaging 24.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 33.0 minutes per game. His performance earned him a spot on the All-NBA G League Second Team, but he's still far from bringing that level of success to the big leagues. 

Motley may get some run in LA's scrimmages or near the end of the seeding games, but don't expect him to crack into the playoff rotation unless something drastic happens.

No. 16: Mfiondu Kabengele

Like Motley, Mfiondu Kabengele impressed with the Agua Caliente Clippers this season. The 22-year-old rookie averaged 18.7 points and 9.3 rebounds while connecting on 32.3% of his three-point attempts, which is a solid number for a stretch big. 

In March, Kabengele told me that he looks to Pascal Siakam as inspiration, who was named the NBA's Most Improved Player in 2019. Time will tell if he can reach that mark, but he's certainly worth keeping an eye on as he continues to develop.

No. 15: Amir Coffey 

Amir Coffey got a bit more NBA experience than Motley and Kabengele this season, making 13 appearances for the LA Clippers and playing as many 24 minutes in a single game. That said, LA is just too deep for the 23-year-old rookie to force his way into the rotation.

Like Motley, Coffey would benefit from getting some run in LA's scrimmages but doesn't have much of a chance to play any meaningful minutes.

No. 14: Terance Mann

Terance Mann was one of the early surprises of the LA Clippers' season, as the rookie earned his first start in just the eighth game of his career. Overall, he's made 35 appearances and six starts for the Clippers, flashing two-way potential throughout the year.

Mann still has a year or two to go until he could become a legitimate rotation player for this team, but the Clippers have to like what they've seen from their second-round prospect thus far. 

No. 13: Rodney McGruder

It's fair to say that Rodney McGruder's first year with the LA Clippers has been a disappointment. The swingman posted career-low numbers virtually across the board, and aside from a 20-point outing in November, failed to make much of an impact.

He recently started working out with NBA shooting coach Lethal Shooter, so hopefully McGruder's shot has improved to the point where he can be relied upon for the occasional catch-and-shoot three. Regardless, he won't play a role for the Clippers this postseason.

No. 12: Patrick Patterson

Unlike McGruder, Patrick Patterson has performed surprisingly well for the Clippers this year — particularly during the first few months of the season. The stretch forward started in each of LA's first 11 games and caught fire from three-point range, connecting on 37.5% of his 3.6 attempts from deep per game. 

Things have slowed down substantially for Patterson since the Clippers acquired Marcus Morris, and he'll most likely be kept out of the playoff rotation because of it. 

No. 11: Joakim Noah

It's challenging to judge Joakim Noah's level of importance to the LA Clippers as he's yet to suit up for the team, but the front office was keen on adding him for a reason. Noah is a fierce competitor and rebounder, and at age 35, he's still got plenty left in the tank. 

We should get an idea of how he plays into the rotation soon, but at the very least, he's a great insurance big to have if Ivica Zubac and Montrezl Harrell find themselves in foul trouble.

No. 10: Reggie Jackson

Like Patterson, Reggie Jackson has been a pleasant surprise for the LA Clippers since he joined the team in February. He's made just nine appearances but has shot the ball exceptionally well, connecting on 45.2% of his looks from three-point range. He's bound to cool off eventually, but having another ball-handler off the bench hasn't been the nightmare that some thought it would.

Expect Jackson to continue earning around 20 minutes per contest during the seeding games, but that number should take a dip once the postseason begins.

No. 9: JaMychal Green

JaMychal Green was phenomenal for the Clippers during the 2019 Playoffs, going nuclear from beyond the arc and rebounding the ball very well against a physical Golden State Warriors team. He started in place of Ivica Zubac for the final three games of the series as well, helping LA push the pace.

Zubac is a much-improved player this go around, but Green could still play a significant role for the Clippers off the bench given his ability to stretch the floor. He's performed particularly well alongside Jackson (albeit a small sample size), outscoring opponents by 18.8 points per 100 possessions.

No. 8: Landry Shamet

Landry Shamet's ability to knock it down from three makes him an invaluable part of the LA Clippers' rotation. The 23-year-old is connecting on 39.2% of his 5.7 three-point attempts per game this season, making him the second-best three-point shooter by volume on the team. Only Paul George takes and makes more threes.

Shamet might miss a scrimmage or two after testing positive for the coronavirus last weekend, but he should be good to go for the seeding games and the postseason. 

No. 7: Ivica Zubac

Perhaps the most underutilized player on the roster, Ivica Zubac is the best player on the LA Clippers that you've never heard of. The 23-year-old has been a force on both ends of the floor this season and has developed a nice chemistry with each of the team's superstars, finishing all sorts of lobs and lay-ins at the rim. Despite that, he's on the floor for just 18.1 minutes per game.

He was played off the floor against the Golden State Warriors in last year's playoffs, but Zu has vastly improved his game since then and shouldn't be looked at in the same way. 

No. 6: Marcus Morris

After averaging a career-high 19.6 points with the New York Knicks for the first half of the 2019-2020 season, the LA Clippers made a move to acquire Marcus Morris at the trade deadline. He hasn't shown nearly the same level of efficiency with LA, but he was only 12 games into his tenure when the season was suspended.

Hopefully, the scrimmage and seeding games will allow Morris to fully adjust to his new role. Otherwise, he could end up doing more harm than good.

No. 5: Patrick Beverley

Fifth feels like a low spot for Patrick Beverley given everything he does for this LA Clippers team. He's notorious for his ability as a perimeter defender and willingness to take on virtually any defensive assignment, and teammates have called his attitude contagious, but Beverley is a great offensive player as well. On the year, he's averaging 7.9 points and 3.7 assists while shooting 37.9% from three-point range.

Beverley's fearless style of play on both ends of the floor is a big reason why the Clippers are as good as they are. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are by far LA's top two-way players, but Beverley makes a strong argument for third.

No. 4: Montrezl Harrell 

It's impossible to overstate how much effort Montrezl Harrell puts into each and every game. The star reserve is averaging 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds in less than 28 minutes per game, and his hustle stats paint a perfect picture of how hard Harrell plays. He leads the league in charges drawn (30), ranks third in box-outs (363) and fifth in contested shots (776).

He isn't a perfect defender, and his size doesn't help that for his position, but it's hard to keep him off the floor considering everything else he does. 

No. 3: Lou Williams

Montrezl Harrell has had a better overall season than Lou Williams, but the Underground GOAT gets the nod as the more important player here. Not only is he still able to score at will, but Williams is one of the league's best shot-creators. He finds space where there isn't, gets to his spots with ease and is almost impossible to guard despite his six-foot-one-inch frame. On top of that, he's averaging a career-high 5.7 assists per game this season.

He'll never be praised for his defense, and it's reasonable to worry about him being played off the floor in key moments. That said, Williams typically does enough on the offensive side of the floor to deserve a spot in LA's closing rotation.

No. 2: Paul George

Clippers fans should prepare to see a lot more of Paul George once things pick back up later this month. Last month, the superstar wing appeared on the Knuckleheads podcast and announced that he had finally finished rehabbing both of his shoulders — meaning he's completely healthy for the first time this season. 

At full potential, George is one of the league's most versatile players and best shooters from three-point range. And if he can return to the MVP-caliber level he played at with the Oklahoma City Thunder last season, he and Kawhi Leonard will be unstoppable together.

No. 1: Kawhi Leonard

Kawhi Leonard is, by all accounts, one of the best playoff performers in league history. The two-way star just turned 29 last month, and he's already a two-time NBA champion, two-time Finals MVP, two-time Defensive Player of the Year and three-time All-NBA selection. 

To make matters worse for every other team in the bubble, Leonard has averaged career-high marks across the board this season with 26.9 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game. 

Not only is Leonard the most important player for the LA Clippers, but he'll be one of the most important players in Orlando. With him at the helm, the Clippers have as good a shot as ever to win their first NBA title this year.