Our exit interview series on the 2023 Clippers rolls on with a look at little-played youngster Brandon Boston Jr.
Basic Information
Height: 6’6
Weight: 188 pounds
Position: Shooting Guard
Age: 21
Years in NBA: 2
Key Regular Season Stats: 6.5 points, 0.9 assists, 1.4 rebounds, 0.4 steals, and 0.5 turnovers in 11.3 minutes per game across 22 games played (1 start) on 41.8/41.4/76.3 (1.3 3PA, 1.7 FTA attempts) shooting splits (51.5 True Shooting)
Postseason Stats: Played one minute of garbage time in one game, with only stat being a turnover
Expectations
After exceeding limited expectation in his rookie season, the expectations for Brandon Boston on a stacked 2023 Clippers roster was very low. Mostly, everyone predicted he’d spend most of the season in the G-League, get a couple cracks at rotation minutes when the Clippers were injured or doing load management, and otherwise ride the pine. In the G-League, it was hoped that Brandon would take steps forward as a playmaker and efficiency scoring the ball. For any NBA minutes, the expectation was a little less erratic play and more steadiness on both sides of the ball.
Reality
The expectations more or less held true for Brandon Boston, who only played 248 minutes for the 2023 Clippers across 22 games. Moreover, 60 of those (or around 25%), came in two blowout losses in late January and mid February. When he did play in the NBA, Boston scored at greater efficiency, but he actually took more shots per 100 possessions than his rookie season, turned the ball over more, and saw a slip in defense. But still, considering he only was in the rotation in games where the Clippers were resting a bunch of players and in a very brief stretch in late November to mid December, it’s hard to take much away from his minutes in the NBA.
In the G-League, Boston played in 17 games across the regular season and showcase cup compared to 9 G-League games in his rookie season. It’s still a small sample size, but Boston didn’t show a ton of improvement statistically – his efficiency went up slightly due to better three-point and free throw shooting, and he scored and rebounded more, but his assists fell and his turnovers went up.
In short, unfortunately, I can’t say I know much more about Brandon Boston in June 2023 than I did in June 2022. The Clippers probably do, having observed him in scrimmages, practices, team settings, etc. and monitored his skill growth, but it was somewhat of a lost year in terms of on-court appearances.
Future with Clippers
Brandon Boston Jr. has one year left on his initial rookie deal, an unguaranteed $1.84M for the 2023-2024 season. Even though he’s barely played in the NBA, he’s young enough and has shown enough promise that he’s a positive value asset on that contract. Would a team value him as highly as a first round pick? No. But he could very well be sweetener in a larger deal alongside picks to nab a star.
However, of the younger Clippers’ draftees, Boston is the most likely to be on the Clips next year. The Clippers love him, and have invested a lot of time and coaching into him. There is the sunk cost fallacy, of course, but the Clippers seem to really believe in Brandon. Do they believe in him enough to clear a rotation spot for him next year? It seems unlikely, but if a consolidation trade or two is made, maybe Boston will get his chance. If not, he will likely be in a similar spot to this season, though hopefully at least somewhat higher up the depth chart.
