Our exit interview series on the 2023 Clippers concludes with Moses Brown, the team’s early-season backup center.
Basic Information
Height: 7’2
Weight: 245 pounds
Position: Center
Age: 23
Years in NBA: 4
NBA Stats: 4.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 0.4 blocks in 8.5 minutes per game across 34 games played (1 start) on 33.3/33.3/0 (0.8 3PA, 0 FTA attempts) shooting splits (38.9 True Shooting)
Expectations
Moses Brown entered the Clippers’ 2023 training camp as the most likely invitee to make the final roster of any non-contract players due to his size and previous NBA experience. While it was expected he would either get the last roster spot or secure the Clippers’ second two-way deal, nobody really thought he would play much, as the Clippers were predicted to play small-ball on their second unit. Moses was forecasted to play in case of an injury to Ivica Zubac, in garbage time, and maybe against big opponents if small-ball wasn’t feasible, but he wasn’t supposed to be a regular rotation player.
Reality
Sure enough, Moses was signed to the Clippers’ second two-way spot. He played in a handful of games in garbage time early in the season before getting real minutes with Robert Covington out, playing 12 minutes against the Rockets and helping the Clippers get the win with 13 points and 7 rebounds. He then played sparingly for a couple weeks before returning to the rotation in late November.
Moses Brown played in every Clippers’ game from November 23 to December 21, or 15 straight appearances – a lot for a two-way player limited to just 50 roster appearances in a season. He had a couple nice games, including 10 and 3 against the Pacers in a win and then 8 and 7 against Charlotte in another victory. However, the more he played, the less effective he was, as his poor defense, inability to do anything on offense outside of finish wide open dunks and get offensive rebounds, and lack of versatility made him a liability on both ends.
Moses Brown had another seven-game stretch of consecutive games played in January 2023 for the Clippers, but the team was flailing by that point, and while Brown again had a couple solid performances, it was clear they needed to change things up. After that game on January 17, Moses played in just one more game for the Clippers, in a game against Cleveland where they rested all their starters. Then, on February 17, the Clippers waived Moses, with his 50-game limit reached. Moses did not take the Clippers to the promised land after all.
It’s hard to believe Moses Brown played just 288 minutes for the Clippers in the 2023 season – it felt like at least twice that much. There’s no doubt that Moses always played really hard and with a lot of energy, and that his sheer size made him a force on occasion. However, his defense was simply abysmal, maybe the worst I’ve seen from an NBA big man ostensibly in a good team’s rotation. His lack of foot speed meant he had to play in a deep, deep drop, giving a runway for opposing ballhandlers to launch threes, take midrange jumpers, or attack the rim. Nor was his drop effective at the basket, since he was too weak to really force misses consistently. There were times his offensive rebounding was helpful, but the defense is just not playable at the NBA level.
Future with Clippers
The Clippers spoke highly of Moses’ energy, effort, and overall presence, so I wouldn’t rule out a return to the Clippers’ organization entirely. That said, Moses is clearly on the fringes of the NBA, and now after his fourth season, he can no longer be on a two-way deal. Do I think he’s worthy of a full NBA roster spot? Sadly, no. It’s not impossible that he could carve out a real NBA career, but the defense and overall on-court awareness are too poor for me to be optimistic. Hopefully Moses has a great career in the G-League or internationally even if he can’t cut it in the NBA.
