After doing a few in-depth reviews of the most likely prospects the Clippers could select at 5, here are some quick hitters on more outside shots at that spot or more likely candidates if the Clippers trade down.
Brayden Burries
Burries is the last of the guards commonly projected to go in the lottery, and the one I’m not doing a full write-up on because it seems very unlikely he’d be picked at 5. However, Burries, measuring at 6’3.75 and 215 pounds with a 6’6 wingspan, is actually probably the cleanest fit of the guards next to Garland. He’s a bit small to be a true off-guard, but he’s by far the heaviest of the lottery guards and the one that projects the best defensively in the NBA. The upside on offense doesn’t quite seem to be there, which is why he’s not mocked as high on boards, but he can do a bit of everything, and seems like a safe bet to be a valuable two-way contributor in the NBA. If the Clippers trade down to the 8-11 range, he’s a logical fit.
Aday Mara
Mara is the largest player in this draft, standing at 7’3 without shoes and boasting an insane 9’9 standing reach with a 7’6 wingspan and weighing at 259.8 pounds. After two disappointing seasons at UCLA, Mara transferred to Michigan, where he played a key role in the Wolverine’s run to the NCAA championship as a dominant paint presence on both ends. Mara moves fairly well for his size, has good defensive instincts, and uses his size to finish around the rim, but his real upside skill is his passing acumen, which is quite advanced for a big man. Mara’s conditioning is somewhat in question (he played just 23.4 minutes per game in college), and his scoring game against NBA-sized centers might be limited, but he feels like one of the highest floors in the draft – it’s hard to imagine he isn’t at least a starting-level center. I wouldn’t take him at 5, or probably even top 10, but in the late lottery he’s a good get.
Yaxel Lendeborg
Yaxel is one of the most interesting prospects in the draft, and will have one of the most fascinating journeys of any NBA player (likely) taken in the lottery in the modern era. A 23-year-old who started at JUCO, then went to UAB, and finally ended up at Michigan in his fifth season in college, Yaxel is a truly modern, pro-ready forward. Standing at 6’8.75 with an immense 7’3.25 wingspan and weighing at a rock solid 241.4 pounds, Yaxel is ready to step in right away at the NBA level and contribute. He can shoot (37.2% from three on 4.5 attempts), defend (1.1 steals and 1.2 blocks), playmake (3.2 assists to 1.1 turnovers), and score (15.1 points on great efficiency). The main downsides with Yaxel are his age and potential questions on his work ethic/personality, but to me he’s well worth the swing after about 8 in the draft.
Nate Ament
Ament is one of the most divisive players in this draft class. He was the 4th ranked player in his college class, as he’s a huge (6’9.5 tall, 6’11 wingspan) wing that can handle and has at least some playmaking capabilities. Those sorts of players are in high demand in the NBA, as they can fill gaps as role players if the scoring talent is not star-level, but also boast superstar-level upside. The downside with Ament is simple: he was immensely inefficient as a scorer at Tennessee, shooting just 39.9% from the field and 33.3% from the field. He got to the line a bunch, but he struggled to score at almost all levels, with particularly worrying numbers as a finisher considering his size. Guys at his size and skill level usually stick around in the NBA, but if he can’t score efficiently and doesn’t become a plus defender, he just won’t be much more than a rotation wing. He would be a huge reach at 5 to me, but I understand the upside swing.
Morez Johnson
Morez is an old-school power forward from Michigan that comes in at 6’9, 250.6 with a massive 7’3.5 wingspan. A bruising, physical player, Morez is attractive to NBA teams because he’s a surprisingly nimble defender that should be capable of switching multiple positions at the NBA level while still providing force on the interior. His stats (13.1 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.1 blocks) don’t appear all that impressive, but he was playing next to Lendeborg and Mara, and could have put up more stats on a worse team. There are some questions about how much he can do on offense at the NBA level outside of transition, offensive rebounding, and dunker’s spot duties, but the defense is legit, the intel is great, and he’s just 20.5 years old. I wouldn’t take him top 10, but from 12 onwards I think he’d be a very solid pick for the Clippers.