The Clippers fell to the Lakers 86-84 in Summer League action, but put together their best collective effort as a team in their third game in Vegas. Since results don’t matter in Vegas, I won’t go into the game flow – as always in Summer League, it was ugly and sloppy anyways. Here are some notes for the Clippers who played.

Keon Johnson – Keon really did very little of note in this one. He wasn’t egregiously bad, just more non-existent. He got up 10 shots in 22 minutes, making just three, though he did snag six boards. Really not much else to say – the offense is very rough right now.

Jason Preston – After a first half similar to his first games, with very little aggression or much activity of any kind outside of perimeter passing, Preston flipped a switch in the second. He actually got into the paint a few times, and made an incredible and-one finish through traffic. Defensively, he had a nice block as well as a couple steals, which really showed his length. It’s clear that he’s much better catching the off of a running start when he can pick up speed, as that mitigates his lack of burst.

Brandon Boston – Boston continues to look the most comfortable of any of the Clippers’ rookies, especially on offense. He drained a couple threes, including a very nice stepback with an and-one, and also had a couple smooth drives to the rim in transition. On defense, despite being pushed around a bit, he continued to use his size and length to his advantage. There’s still not much in the way of playmaking for others, and he got shot-happy late in the game, but another nice showing.

Jay Scrubb – After two games of taking all the shots, Scrubb took a mere seven attempts in this one. Even though he didn’t have the gaudy scoring numbers of his first Summer League game, this performance was more impressive to me. His defense was sharp, he looked for others, and made some very nice passes that resulted in six assists. He’s probably not going to be a go-to scorer in the NBA, which means his playmaking and off-ball shooting is more important than on-ball heroics. Good stuff from Jay.

Daniel Oturu – This was a game to forget for Oturu, who started off quite strong but tapered as the game went along. He had five turnovers, mostly of the very frustrating variety, and also committed an incredible nine fouls. Oturu can clearly rebound, and he plays very hard, but he’s not really a rim-runner, shooter, or rim protector, which means he lacks modern big-man qualities. Hopefully he can show a bit more the last couple games of Summer League.

Amir Coffey – Amir started off the game brutally, clanking threes and turning the ball over when trying to be aggressive. Over time, however, he settled down, and focused on being Amir Coffey – rebounding, scoring in transition, and providing energy. He ended with a solid statline, and was a big reason for the Clippers’ second-half push. Still, it would be great if he could hit some threes to open up his game.

The Other Guys – Kerwin Roach continued to sizzle from deep, making both of his threes, but did little else. Isaiah Hicks is clearly the Clippers’ best big man in Summer League, as he’s more effective than Oturu at Oturu’s own strengths (rebounding and scoring around the basket), though he does possess Oturu’s weaknesses as well. Jordan Ford provided some nice energy, and hit two threes. Kaleb Wesson checked in for his first Summer League minutes, getting three in the first half and collecting two rebounds and a block. Lydell Elmore is now the only Clippers’ Summer Leaguer who hasn’t played.

Well, that about does it for this recap of the Clippers’ Summer League game against the Lakers. Provide your thoughts in the comments below!

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