25-year old Al Thornton was outstanding last season for the Clippers. He played in 71 games for the Clippers last season and he averaged 37.4 minutes, 16.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. Thornton’s numbers should improve a little bit this season but the Clippers have a lot of players that like to shoot the ball. 30-year old Ricky Davis exercised his player option to return to the Clippers this season so they will give him a chance to earn it behind Thornton. Davis played in 36 games for the Clippers last season and he averaged 21.8 minutes, 6.4 points, 1.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. 26-year old Steve Novak will be #3 in line for minutes at small forward and he is a sharp shooter. Novak shot 41.6% from three point range last season for the Clippers. Novak played in 71 games for the Clippers last season and he averaged 16.4 minutes, 6.9 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SMALL FORWARDS IN 2009-2010: B-