LOS ANGELES – Heading into the first week of the 2017-18 NBA season, the new look Clippers get set for a ‘road’ matchup with the Lakers on Thursday for Opening Night.
With the preseason in the books, & the regular season only 2 days away, here are the opening week power rankings from around the internet, along with a brief explanation for the choices. Click on the ranking under each publication’s name to see the full explanations for each team.
ESPN.com
Clippers No. 11 – “Chris Paul is no longer on the team but the Clippers added a great passer in Milos Teodosic. That's good news for DeAndre Jordan, who has led the league in alley-oop dunks each of the past six seasons. Jordan's 595 alley-oop dunks since the 2011-12 season are 226 more than the next player on the list.” – Panel including Kevin Arnovitz, Amin Elhassan, Ramona Shelburne, Marc J. Spears & Chris Herring
USAToday.com
Clippers No. 11 – “You might not be able to recognize the Clippers after the offseason face lift, but don’t expect their six-season playoff streak to come to an end. Led by $173-million man Blake Griffin, along with DeAndre Jordan, Danilo Gallinari and Pat Beverley, the Clips are still going to compete.” – AJ Neuharth-Keusch
HoopsHabit.com | Fansided
Clippers No. 10 – “The Los Angeles Clippers may have lost Chris Paul, J.J. Redick and Luc Mbah a Moute over the summer, there’s too much talent, playmaking and experience on this roster to count them out of the playoff picture.
If Blake Griffin can stay healthy, he could turn in a career year as a point forward. Patrick Beverley‘s an exceptional defender and spot shooter, Milos Teodosic is a wizard with the ball in his hands, Danilo Gallinari is a jack of all trades when he’s not hurt, and role players like Austin Rivers, Lou Williams, Montrezl Harrell, Sam Dekker and Willie Reed can all contribute. Overlook the Clippers at your own risk.” – Gerald Bourguet
SI.com
Clippers No. 11 – “I get made fun of for saying this all the time, but Blake Griffin has been a legitimate MVP candidate the past couple of seasons when healthy. Without Chris Paul, he’ll have the opportunity to take over this team, though he’ll now be catching lobs from Patrick Beverley and Austin Rivers. I say he continues to round out his game (perhaps shoots more threes?), Danilo Gallinari averages 18 per game again and the Clippers mess around and finish fifth in the West.” – Kenny Ducey
CBSSports.com
Clippers No. 14 – "The Clippers are loaded with guys with playoff experience, and that will go under the radar. Even if a lot of them weren't the stars, they contributed to playoff teams. That matters. The Clippers are gaining my confidence as we approach the season.” – Matt Moore
NBA.com
Clippers No. 10 – “To remind us how fragile their outlook is, the Clippers had three starters -- Austin Rivers (strained glute), Danilo Gallinari (sprained foot) and Patrick Beverley (sore knee) -- go down in the preseason. Blake Griffin (8-for-17 from 3-point range) escaped unscathed and more Milos Teodosic would be great for those of us who enjoy his delightful dime-dropping, but their new-found depth is already being challenged. They play just one of their first nine games away from Staples Center.” – John Schuhmann