Our player preview series for the 2026 Clippers continues with Kobe Sanders, their second-round rookie on a two-way deal.
Basic Information
Height: 6’7
Weight: 203 pounds
Position: Small Forward
Age: 23
Years in NBA: Rookie
College Stats: 15.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.8 turnovers in 31.7 minutes per game across 33 games played (32 starts) on 46.0/34.2/79.5 shooting splits (3.6 3PA, 5.2 FTA) for 57.2 True Shooting
Contract Status: Signed to a two-way deal
Expectations
Late second-round rookies almost never have real roles on NBA teams, and that’s even more true of those on veteran teams with playoff aspirations. Kobe is no different. Thus, even though he’s 23 years old and not someone with long-term athletic upside, it’s hard to have any expectations for him this season. I’d expect Kobe to spend much of the season in the G-League and only get called up when the Clippers are dealing with injury issues. If he plays a lot of real minutes for the Clippers this year, something has probably gone very wrong.
Strengths
I wrote about Kobe when the Clippers took him on draft night, and none of his strengths have changed since then. For a guy who is truly wing-sized, Kobe has a solid handle and is an excellent passer. If his scoring and defense are good enough to stick in the NBA, he’s someone who you could legitimately run some offense through on a second unit, as he can make plays from the post or in the pick and roll. Kobe does have a real midrange bag, and again, that unlocks some real shot creation capabilities if the rest of his game rounds into shape.
Weaknesses
In the modern NBA, most wings need to be good at two things – catch-and-shoot threes and defense. Unfortunately, Kobe will have to prove his capabilities in both of those areas. He was a meh shooter from distance in college (albeit on decent volume), and as someone who played on-ball a lot, shifting to more of an off-ball approach will also be an adjustment. Kobe was not particularly athletic even in college, and will be a well below-average athlete at the NBA level, making defense a challenge. He does seem like a smart player, and if he can just be capable on defense while getting his three-point shot up to NBA speed, there’s a real player in there.
Summary
I was fairly agnostic about the Clippers’ picking Kobe in the draft, and I feel similarly over three months later. We probably won’t know much about Kobe as an NBA player after this year, but if he plays well in the G-League and impresses the coaching staff hopefully he’s able to garner himself a shot at the full roster next season.
