The Los Angeles Clippers Futures Odds (BetDSI Sportsbook)
Los Angeles Clippers to win the Pacific Division: +2500
Los Angeles Clippers to win the Western Conference: +6600
Los Angeles Clippers to win the NBA Championship: +10000
Los Angeles Clippers Season Total Win Prediction: Total 41.5 (Over -140, Under +110)
The Los Angeles Clippers ended the lasts season with 51 wins, and they finished the campaign strongly with seven consecutive victories, but they slipped in the first round of the playoffs after they were defeated by the Utah Jazz in seven games. The Clippers had numerous injury troubles, and despite having a home court advantage and match point at Staples Center, the Jazz managed to surprise them and knock them out of the postseason.
They didn’t have a chance of winning the Pacific Division as the Golden State Warriors were dominant, and this time around, the Clippers’ second position in the division is up for grabs as they are looking weaker than the last year. All of that because the departure of Chris Paul, who joined the Houston Rockets, and although Los Angeles received quality players in return, it seems that they will be fighting to reach the playoffs in 2017/18.
Blake Griffin will lead the team, while the new arrival Danilo Gallinari will serve as his wing man, but the team went through a lot of changes this summer, and it will be interesting to see how the Clippers will cope in the West this season.
Read on to find out more about the Los Angeles Clippers offseason moves and the 2017/2018 futures and props brought to you by BetDSI Sportsbook. Also, don’t forget to visit our Get More Sports website for more NBA teams season previews.
The 2017/2018 Los Angeles Clippers Roster
Arrivals: Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Jawun Evans, Sam Dekker, Danilo Gallinari, Montrezl Harrell, DeAndre Liggins, Willie Reed, Milos Teodosic, Sindarius Thornwell, Jamil Wilson.
Departures: Chris Paul, Alan Anderson, Brandon Bass, Raymond Felton, Darrun Hilliard, Luc Mbah a Moute, JJ Redick, Marreese Speights, Kyle Wiltjer.
The Clippers didn’t have a pick in this year’s NBA Draft, but they acquired Sindarius Thornwell from the Milwaukee Bucks and the shooting guard signed a contract in July. Thornwell spent the previous four seasons with the South Carolina Gamecocks and had a quite impressive 2016/17 campaign, averaging 21.4 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 2.9 apg, 2.2 spg, and 1.0 bpg. He was selected for the First-team All-SEC and will be the fourth option at the shooting guard position behind Austin Rivers, Lou Williams, and DeAndre Liggins.
Jawun Evans joined the Clippers after they acquired him from the Philadelphia 76ers for cash considerations and the former Oklahoma State Cowboy will serve as a backup to point guards Patrick Beverley and Milos Teodosic.
Another rookie who arrived at Staples Center is Jamil Wilson as he signed a two-way contract and will spend the season with the Clippers’ NBA G-League affiliate, the Agua Caliente Clippers. Most recently, the forward played for the Italian side Auxilium Torino following his stints with the Oregon (2009-2010) and Marquette (2011-2014).
Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell, Sam Dekker, and DeAndre Liggins came to Los Angeles as a part of a trade that saw Chris Paul leaving to the Houston Rockets in a blockbuster deal this summer. Beverley spent the previous five season with the Rockets, and in 2016/17, he averaged 9.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 4.2 apg, and 1.5 spg in 30.7 mpg. The 29-year-old point guard is listed as the starting PG in the depth chart, while Milos Teodosic will be his main competition for the spot. Lou Williams, who had an excellent last year with the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets is one of the best sixth men for years now and will present a big reinforcement for the Clippers. He averaged 17.5 ppg, 3.0 apg, and 2.5 rpg in 2016/17 and will split minutes with Austin Rivers at shooting guard position. Lou almost won the sixth man of the year award but his teammate at the time, Eric Gordon, claimed the title. Sam Dekker Another former Rocket who joined the Clippers is Sam Dekker. Dekker appeared in 77 games for Houston last year, averaging 6.5 ppg, 3.7 rpg, and 1.0 apg and will play as a backup to Danilo Gallinari at small forward position. Montrezl Harrell was also the part of the Chris Paul’s trade and the 23-year-old power forward averaged 9.1 ppg and 3.8 rpg in 18.3 mpg for the Rockets in 2016/17. He is ahead of Brice Johnson but behind Blake Griffin in the pecking order, and I expect him to play around 15 minutes per game this term.
Willie Reed played for the Miami Heat last season and averaged 5.3 ppg and 4.7 rpg in 71 matches and the center will be DeAndre Jordan’s deputy in 2017/18. The Clippers signed Milos Teodosic from CSKA Moscow and the 30-year-old point guard could be a big hit in the NBA after his fantastic career in Europe, where he won almost everything he could. One of the best EuroLeague players in recent years, Teodosic averaged 16.1 ppg and 6.8 apg for the Russian champions and will surely be a fierce competitor to Patrick Beverley for the starting point guard position.
However, the most significant arrival of the offseason is definitely Danilo Gallinari, who came to Los Angeles after five years with the Denver Nuggets, where he was a top scorer last season with 18.2 ppg. The Italian small forward will instantly become the starter at Staples Center and Doc Rivers expects big things from the former New York Knick. Danilo’s competition for the place in the team is not big, as Sam Dekker and Wesley Johnson doesn’t present a threat to him.
| PG | SG | SF | PF | C |
| Patrick Beverley | Austin Rivers | Danilo Gallinari | Blake Griffin | DeAndre Jordan |
| Milos Teodosic | Lou Williams | Sam Dekker | Montrezl Harrell | Willie Reed |
| Jawun Evans | DeAndre Liggins | Wes Johnson | Brice Johnson | |
| Sindarius Thornwell |
The Clippers’ biggest loss this summer is undoubtedly Chris Paul’s decision to quit the team and join the Houston Rockets instead in his pursuit of the NBA Championship. Paul was disappointed with the last season’s display, and after seven seasons without significant results with the Clippers, he decided that is the right time to move on. The nine-time All-Star point guard averaged 18.1ppg, 9.2 apg, 5.0 rpg, and 2.0 spg in 61 games and it will be interesting to see how Los Angeles will cope with his departure, but the fans are not very optimistic.
Alan Anderson, Brandon Bass, Darrun Hilliard, Raymond Felton, and Kyle Wiltjer were just a fringe players at Los Angeles and will not be missed, but departures of Redick, Mbah a Moute, and Speights, will surely hit the Clippers. JJ Redick joined the Philadelphia 76ers following his four-year stint with the Clippers and the shooting guard averaged 15.0 ppg in 78 games (all starts) in 2016/17. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute was a good servant for the Clippers and his defensive heroics cannot be forgotten so quickly, even though he never was an important part of the offense. Luc left for the Houston Rockets where he will team up with Chris Paul again. Marreese Speights appeared in every 82 games last season and averaged 8.7 ppg and 4.5 rpg in 15.7 mpg, and in 2017/18, he will represent the Orlando Magic.
Although the Clippers’ roster doesn’t look bad at all, they will have a lot of trouble to qualify for the playoffs and will heavily rely on Blake Griffin, who will serve as the clear leader of this team. In case he suffers an injury during the season, the Clippers will be doomed, because Gallinari, Williams, and Jordan will find it extremely hard to cope without the quality of the player like Griffin.
The Bottom Line and Total Win Prediction
The competition in the West is always tough and the Clippers will have to do their best if they want to play in the playoffs, but I don’t think they will finish the season above the 7tth or 8th seed in the Conference. The top four finish is a fiction for them at the moment and I believe the fans would be satisfied if the team even reach the postseason. The bookies are not optimistic about Los Angeles’ chances as well, as the BetDSI Sportsbook set the number of season wins at 41.5, which means that they are predicting a difficult campaign for Doc Rivers and the Clippers. Still, I believe they can come close to 45 victories, so I am backing over on this one and you should consider it as well.
Season total wins: Over 41.5 wins (-140)
