It’s now June and the deadline for players to return to college is over, so it’s time to do another Mock Draft review and see who the Clippers are projected to take with the 30th and 48th picks. The mocks are from Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo at ESPN, Sam Vecenie at the Athletic, Jonathan Wasserman at Bleacher Report, and Ricky O’Donnell at SB Nation, some of the most respected bigger media names on the draft, as well as Kevin O’Connor at the Ringer.
ESPN (Updated 6/2)
30th: Maxwell Lewis, SF – Pepperdine
Explanation: “After an uneven season at Pepperdine, Lewis has one of the bigger ranges of any player in the class, as he’s receiving interest from teams already in the late lottery extending throughout the first round. There aren’t many prospects with more natural talent in this stage than Lewis, who stands 6-7½ in shoes with a 7-foot wingspan and diverse shot-making and shot-creation prowess. Lewis’ performance in private workouts, where he thus far has excelled, should provide a better gauge of where his draft range lies ultimately.”
48th: Bobi Klintman, SF/PF – Wake Forest
The Athletic
Hasn’t been updated since May 16th (kind of odd) – Jaime Jaquez Jr. at 30 and Jordan Walsh at 48.
Bleacher Report (Updated 6/2)
30th: Jaime Jaquez Jr., SF – UCLA
Explanation: “With Jaquez, there will be teams in the 20s and 30s willing to forget about upside, and instead value the floor tied to his physicality, intangibles and versatility. He’s drawn positive reviews for his shooting during workouts.”
48th: Jalen Wilson, SF/PF – Kansas
Explanation: “Though Wilson struggled at the NBA combine, his college production, improved shot-making and strong frame will keep him in second-round conversations.”
SB Nation
Hasn’t been updated since May 16th – Jordan Walsh at 30.
The Ringer (Updated 6/6)
30th: Noah Clowney, PF/C – Alabama
Explanation: “Behind Ivica Zubac, the Clippers could use more versatility in their frontcourt—someone who can provide switchability without sacrificing rim protection.”
My Thoughts
There aren’t a ton of similarities in terms of specific player names, though Jaime Jaquez and Jordan Walsh are each mentioned twice. However, there are lots of commonalities between the selection both in this round of mock drafts, and in the previous round from a few weeks ago.
Most notably, every player listed but Clowney is a small forward or power forward. This makes sense from a Clippers’ roster perspective, as they’re heavy on guards and smaller wings but short on larger forwards, and the forwards they do have are all on the older and declining side. Drafting a forward or two to hopefully take the spots of whichever of the veteran forwards stick around for the next year or two make sense. Clowney is the only big man on the mock draft list, and there are no smaller guards at all. Again, it makes sense considering the Clippers’ roster.
There’s not much of a commonality in age/class either – Clowney and Walsh are freshmen, Lewis and Klintman are 20, and Jaquez is an older senior. This would indicate that the Clippers aren’t necessarily focused on getting a win-now player, and will take the best possible player, a strategy I agree with.
For the prospects themselves, I don’t love any of them, really, but none of them would be awful picks. The Clippers need young talent that can bring energy and athleticism, which is why I’d like for them to use both picks (even if 48 is on more of a draft-and-stash) and try to shift the roster younger by swapping out some of their older veterans for youth.
