Our player preview series for the 2026 Clippers closes (sorry Kobe Brown and Yanic Konan Niederhauser, you are just missing out on the cut based on my own missed deadlines) with new backup center, Brook Lopez.
Basic Information
Height: 7’1
Weight: 280 pounds
Position: Center
Age: 37
Years in NBA: 17
Stats: 13.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.9 blocks, and 1.1 turnovers in 31.8 minutes per game across 80 games played (all starts) on 50.9/37.3/82.6 shooting splits (4.7 3PA, 1.7 FTA) for 62.4 True Shooting
Contract Status: Signed a two-year, $18M contract this past offseason
Expectations
Brook comes to the Clippers with among the clearest expectations of anyone on the roster: be a competent backup center. After being a starter almost his entire career, Brook is overqualified to be a reserve, even as he heads deeper into his late 30s. One of the most experienced players in the entire league, Brook knows where to be on both ends of the court, has seen every scheme, and should help anchor the Clippers when Ivica Zubac is off the court. In terms of production, scoring of around 8-10 points per game on excellent efficiency and a handful of other stats seems reasonable.
Strengths
Brook has three strengths, and they’re all significant. First, he’s one of the very best shooting big men in the NBA, combining volume (4.7 threes attempted last year), accuracy (37.3%), and depth (will take threes well behind the line). He will instantly be the best shooting big man in Clippers’ history, that’s for sure, and that unique element will give the Clippers’ offense a new twist. His pairing with John Collins in the second unit makes particular sense, as Brook can space the floor while Collins dives to the rim. Shooting can be overrated at times, but having a true floor-spacing big man opens up the offense for everyone else and has immense value.
Second, Brook remains a strong rim protector. He’s extremely slow-footed at this point of his career, but he’s a massive, massive man even by NBA standards, and that size deters plenty of foes from even attempting shots around the basket. Brook is also extremely savvy in timing his blocks and rotations to provide maximum impact, working his way around his lack of mobility and vertical leap. There are not many players in the NBA better at deterring or blocking shots at the rim than Brook.
Finally, Brook can still cook in the post. He doesn’t get the ball there as much as he did in his days on the Nets, but his touch, size, footwork, and strength enable him to get buckets there, especially when he has mismatches against smaller defenders. When the second unit runs out of ideas on offense, there are far worse ideas than giving Brook the ball on the low block.
Weaknesses
While an extremely potent rim protector, Brook is very limited when not playing in drop coverage. His slow feet make him a prime target out on the perimeter when guarding smaller players, so you can’t switch one through five with him on the floor. Similarly, even though he’s a highly intelligent defender, there are times when he just can’t make the rotations he used to because he’s a step slow.
It must be noted that Brook is very old. He was good last year, and he looked quite good in preseason, but the bottom can fall out on NBA players at any time. His size and shooting are probably enough to keep him from becoming unplayable, but there’s a chance that an extra half step lost on both ends could severely mitigate his effectiveness. The Clippers just have to hope that last backwards slide from “rotation-caliber player” to “not a rotation-caliber player” does not happen this year.
Summary
Brook is coming to the Clippers at the end of his career, but promises the most reliable backup center play the Clippers have had in a long, long time (Isaiah Hartenstein was really good in 2022 but still figuring a few things out). A local guy who is beloved around the league for his personality, I think he will very quickly become a fan favorite in Los Angeles. I, for one, can’t wait to watch Brook combine with Chris Paul for some of the oldest pick and rolls in NBA history. There is not a ton of upside with Brook, obviously, but his steadiness on both ends will be like water in the desert for the Clippers after their backup centers of the past few years.
