It’s not such a bad thing if you’re a fan of a team for whom Wednesday’s NBA Draft (probably) isn’t going to be compelling, must-see TV.
It means that team likely was competent the previous season, or in the Clippers’ case, pretty good. Like, second-in-the-Western Conference standings good.
Or perhaps that it traded away its picks, as the Clippers have been keen to do recently. That included last February, when they sent this draft’s first-round pick (No. 27, it turns out) to New York as part of the three-team deal that landed Marcus Morris Sr.
Certainly, the Clippers could make a move and advance in the draft order as they did in 2015 and 2017, but for now, L.A. is looking at just the 57th out of 60 picks.
That will be to be the latest the Clippers have picked since they selected Chad Kessler 93rd in 1987, when the draft went seven rounds and included 161 players.
And though it might stand to reason that it will be slim pickings by the time the Clippers get their turn on the clock, you never know: San Antonio grabbed Manu Ginobili, a potential future Hall of Famer, with the 57th selection in 1999.
No player taken in that spot since has been so successful, but Kevin Hervey and Jordan Bone, the 57th picks the past two drafts by Oklahoma City and Detroit, respectively, both appeared in 10 NBA games apiece with their NBA teams last season while otherwise playing full time for their organizations’ G League outfits.
Before than, from 2011 and 2017, teams all but exclusively selected international prospects in that 57th position, with Alex Oriakhi, who played for UConn and Missouri, the only American taken at that position in that span. None of those players has appeared in an NBA game.
Now, entering Wednesday’s virtual proceedings, prognosticators peering hard into their crystal balls have guesses about who might work for a Clippers team that is expected to be in the market this offseason for a point guard – including, perhaps, veteran Rajon Rondo, a free agent who played for the Lakers the past two seasons and, according to veteran NBA reporter Frank Isola, has interest in signing with the Clippers.
Rajon Rondo is expected to receive a significant offer from the Atlanta Hawks ($15 million for two years guaranteed) but according to a source, Rondo remains focused on potentially joining the Clippers. He could possibly get the mid-level from LAC.
— Frank Isola (@TheFrankIsola) November 17, 2020
As far as prospects go, the Clippers likely will draft the best available player, as reflected in the range of players assigned to them in mock drafts.
In his version, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony suggested Marko Simonovic, a 6-foot-11 Serbian big man, could fit the bill. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie projects Kenyon Martin Jr., a 6-7 forward who played at Sierra Canyon and IMG Academy in Florida before opting for a year of prep school instead of playing at Vanderbilt, could be the Clippers’ pick.NBC Sports has the Clippers selecting Ashton Hagans, a 6-3 point guard from Kentucky; Tankathon.com has them taking 6-3 Israeli point guard Yam Mader; and Sports Illustrated predicts the Clippers will choose Mason Jones, a 6-5 shooting guard from Arkansas.
Whatever direction the Clippers go, the dust will settle on the draft soon after their pick, and right after that, free agency will be in full swing, starting Friday at 3 p.m. PT.
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