Our exit interview series on the 2024 Clippers continues with the Clippers’ other backup center, Mason Plumlee.
Basic Information
Height: 6’10
Weight: 254 pounds
Position: Center
Age: 34
Years in NBA: 11
Key Stats: 5.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 14.7 minutes per game across 46 games (11 starts) on 56.9/70.7 shooting splits.
Expectations
Mason Plumlee ended up being a lifesaver for the Clippers during the 2022-23 season. The lack of a true backup center hurt the team early on (before his arrival) and he fit in well enough to the point where fans often wondered how many more wins the Clippers would have had if they had acquired a backup center sooner.
Coming into the 2023-24 season, the same role was expected of Plumlee. That was to provide relief for Ivica Zubac while bringing his brand of energy and play around the rim to the second unit.
Reality
Unfortunately for Plumlee, he suffered a knee injury during the first month of the regular season that ended up sidelining him for a few months. When he returned, his spot in the rotation had been taken by Daniel Theis, whom the Clippers had signed as an emergency stop-gap due to Plumlee’s injury.
For the remainder of the regular season, Plumlee and Theis often alternated as the first center off the bench depending on the matchup at hand. But in the playoffs, Theis was relegated to the bench while Plumlee assumed full-time backup center duties.
Plumlee was not very effective against the Dallas Mavericks: he shot a career-low 38.9 percent from the field in the first round. That’s not even going into his defense.
Future with Clippers
Plumlee enters the 2024 offseason as an unrestricted free agent. The Clippers will still need a capable backup center and it’s unlikely they keep both Plumlee and Theis.
Despite the playoff letdown, Plumlee is still an effective backup center. He is going to have no shortage of suitors on the free agent market. Re-signing him is not a bad option for the Clippers. The free agent center crop is slim pickings, with no other available player undeniably better than Plumlee.
Unless the Clippers can swing a trade for a better backup center, re-signing Plumlee is the best way to go. Size still matters in this league. Plumlee’s skill-set is still necessary for this team.
