The Clippers beat Maccabi Ra’anana 121 – 81 in their first preseason game of 2023. With the caveat that Maccabi is a second-tier team in the second-tier Israeli league and also weirdly incorporated a bunch of former NBA players for this game that aren’t actually on their roster (including Clippers’ legend Sindarius Thornwell!), here are some takeaways.
Notes
Clippers Vets Are Too Good – The Clippers’ actual rotation players who appeared in this one, especially Robert Covington and Luke Kennard, were just far too good for the competition. There is no takeaway for any of these guys, outside of keeping them healthy.
Coffey is Definitely Bigger – One of the most common refrains in NBA preseason is “so and so put on 15 pounds of muscle” or “so and so lost 20 pounds to get slimmer”. However, Amir Coffey really does look like he put on 15 pounds of muscle – and put it to good use. He consistently pushed the ball downhill, using speed and strength to get to the rim. As long as the added weight doesn’t slow him laterally on defense, the improved strength could be helpful for Amir on offense.
Moses Brown is Huge – Outside of Terrence Jones (who didn’t play much and is not fully part of Maccabi) the tallest player on Maccabi was maybe 6’8. Brown, at 7’2, therefore towered over the court, and played like it. He brought in a bunch of offensive rebounds, finished at the rim, and deterred some shots on defense. None of it means anything since no NBA teams are that small across the board, but it’s better to see the dominance when expected than not.
Moussa Active Defensively – There were some rough moments on offense in terms of hesitation and not knowing what to do with the ball, but I think Moussa’s activity, quickness, and energy was evident on defense. Guys with his size and length who can move the way he can on the defensive end probably have a future of some kind in the league, but the question is if he can do much on the other end.
Preston Can Pass – We already knew this from his college and G-League play, but Jason Preston is a fantastic playmaker. He can make all sorts of passes, plays guys open, and has an intuitive sense for where players are going on the court. It’s very impressive. He also demonstrated his rebounding acumen, again a trait he possessed in college. The worry remains that he doesn’t possess the athleticism to consistently break down defenses – he thrives in transition, but was bothered by Maccabi’s pressure at times. Still, a good game by Jason.
Boston Overdribbling – Nobody on the Clippers truly played badly, but Brandon Boston Jr. did not impress. He overdribbled a bunch, usually to launch poor, contested shots, and his handle looked loose at times. It doesn’t mean anything, but it still isn’t good when compared to a standout performance.
Devoe Ahead – It probably doesn’t matter much, if at all, but from this game it seems as if Michael Devoe is ahead of Lucas Williamson and Juwan Morgan of the true non-roster guys. He played more minutes and more minutes with actual roster players than the other two, drained a couple threes, and had some slick passes and moves. He’s still an extreme longshot, but maybe keep an eye on him.
The Clippers’ next preseason game is on Monday against a far better opponent in the Portland Trailblazers, and it seems as if the real roster will play that night, so one could say the preseason to the preseason is now over. Let the true preseason commence.