Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsOver the past 10 NBA Drafts (2006-2015), the Los Angeles Clippers have made 16 selections, yielding just one All-Star in Blake Griffin.
The following table details the Clippers’ track record by tiers, noting the number of All-Stars and starters selected, along with players who either never made the league or were out in five years or less:
| Tier | Picks | All-Star | All-Star Appearances | Starter* | Not in NBA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | 1 | 1 (100%) | 5 | 1 (100%) | 0 |
| 6-10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 (100%) | 0 |
| 11-15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (100%) |
| 16-20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 21-25 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 26-30 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 31-40 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 (33.3%) | 0 |
| 41-50 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 (100%) |
| 51-60 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 (75%) |
| Total | 16 | 1 (6.3%) | 5 | 4 (25%) | 8 (50%) |
*Starter criteria determined as an average of 50 or more starts, over at least 40 percent of the player’s career.
The following is the league average over the same tiers:
| Tier | All-Star | Starter | Not in NBA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-5 | 12 (24%) | 30 (60%) | 3 (6%) |
| 6-10 | 8 (16%) | 30 (60%) | 7 (14%) |
| 11-15 | 2 (4%) | 12 (24%) | 8 (16%) |
| 16-20 | 3 (6%) | 10 (20%) | 8 (16%) |
| 21-25 | 2 (4%) | 8 (16%) | 15 (30%) |
| 26-30 | 1 (2%) | 5 (10%) | 20 (40%) |
| 31-40 | 1 (2%) | 11 (11%) | 52 (52%) |
| 41-50 | 2 (2%) | 8 (8%) | 70 (70%) |
| 51-60 | 1 (1%) | 1 (1%) | 87 (87%) |
| Total | 32 (5.3%) | 115 (19.7%) | 270 (45.0%) |
The Clippers’ selection of Griffin was franchise altering. Second-round pick DeAndre Jordan has a strong chance of being named an All-Star next season, should he continue to play at the same level.
Note that players are included with the team through any draft-day trades. Some teams pick well but let an eventual starter leave for another, but that’s beyond the scope of this article. Recently drafted players have yet to officially pass the “at least five years” test, but were considered as such if on a team’s roster by the end of the 2015-16 season.
Additionally, recent picks who have yet to join the NBA may still do so, but for this analysis are considered “out.”
Pick History 2006-2015
All-Stars: Blake Griffin (2009-1) — five appearances
Starters: Eric Gordon (2008-7), DeAndre Jordan (2008-35), Griffin, Al-Farouq Aminu (2010-8)
Rotation Players: Eric Bledsoe (2010-18), Reggie Bullock (2013-25), C.J. Wilcox (2014-28), Branden Dawson (2015-56)
Out in Five Years or Less: Paul Davis (2006-34), Guillermo Diaz (2006-52), Al Thornton (2007-14), Jared Jordan (2007-45), Mike Taylor (2008-55), Willie Warren (2010-54), Trey Thompkins (2011-37), Travis Leslie (2011-47)
