NBA Week 17 Rewind: Warriors, Spurs are only human
By Tom West
Under-the-radar Players to Watch Next Week
Tobias Harris has come to the forefront of people’s attention thanks to him being one of the only relatively high-profile names to appear in a trade last week. He caught the eye of those watching again with a 21-point debut with the Pistons, but he’ll likely still be under the radar as the season progresses.
He cooled off again in his next game in Detroit, shooting just 6-of-17 from the floor as the Pelicans rose above thanks to Anthony Davis’ historic 59-point, 20-rebound display. There was nothing Harris or anyone else could do to stop that, although he should be able to start making a real difference once he settles into the Pistons’ offense.
He almost has a combination of Marcus Morris’ skills and Ersan Ilyasova’s, the previous forwards the Pistons were using in their starting lineup. Harris will become a starter before too long once Stan Van Gundy is happy with his fit, and as a combo forward with the ability to drive and space the floor for Andre Drummond, it’s no wonder that SVG wanted to pursue him at the deadline. His arrival is made even sweeter for fans seeing as they didn’t have to make much of a sacrifice in return.
Jeff Green is the next big deadline acquisition to look out for, as the Clippers need him to serve as an upgrade over the smaller versatility that Lance Stephenson offered during his brief stint in L.A. As a generally underwhelming player that’s never fully reached his star potential, Green joins the Clippers with positives and negatives. Before getting to the problem of sacrificing a 2019 protected first-round pick to bring him away from the Grizzlies, the issue of consistency is always prevalent with Green.
After never becoming the go-to star the Boston Celtics wanted him to be, and clearly never emerging as a vital piece of the Grizzlies’ higher tempo offensive experiment, he now has a new chance with a higher contender. The Clippers need him to utilize his length and every fibre of his athletic, 6’9″ frame in order for him to be the best stretch four possible.
He’s an instant upgrade over Paul Pierce or Wesley Johnson at that small-ball position, and he’s still the top overall option they have at the three, too. In an ideal world, where Green always has a killer instinct, he’s the missing piece at small forward the Clippers have been longing for for years. And after all, he only needs to be the fifth best starter if he acquires that role. Whether or not he makes a consistent difference, though, is something worth looking out for.