Los Angeles Clippers: The two ideal picks in the 2018 NBA Draft

OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 04: Head coach Doc Rivers of the Los Angeles Clippers talks to the referees during their preseason game against the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena on October 4, 2016 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 04: Head coach Doc Rivers of the Los Angeles Clippers talks to the referees during their preseason game against the Golden State Warriors at ORACLE Arena on October 4, 2016 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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Los Angeles Clippers
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) – Los Angeles Clippers /

The 2018 NBA Draft is immensely important for the Los Angeles Clippers; whose direction for the next several seasons may rely solely on this draft.

The Los Angeles Clippers need everything to go right in the 2018 NBA Draft. Right now, the team is at a bit of a crossroads. The draft will help the Clippers decide which way to go at the fork in the road; either build up a contender or strip down the parts and start fresh.

The Clippers enter the draft with the 12th and 13th-best draft picks, per Tankathon. Chances are that the 12th and 13th spots are exactly where the Clippers will end up. Los Angeles has a 0.7 and 0.5 percent chance to land the top pick with the Pistons and Clippers picks, respectively. The team has a 2.5 and 2.2 percent chance to land a top-three pick with said picks.

Detroit would get its pick back if it did land in the top four spots, so the Clippers have an even smaller chance to get a top-three pick. It would totally be bad Clippers luck if the Pistons pick landed high, and the team lost it, while their own pick stayed low.

Those odds are so low though that we are going to assume that the Los Angeles Clippers will enter the draft with the 12th and 13th overall picks. Needing to decide which direction to go, here are the two perfect picks that would help the Clippers accelerate their contention status.