The LA Clippers have recovered from an awful start to the season to become the fun and gritty team we’d grown accustomed to. A seven-game winning streak revived a few players who began the season poorly, while Paul George has staked his case for early-season MVP consideration. Yet, as the LA Clippers have been busy flipping narratives, the Agua Caliente Clippers have done the same. They’ve garnered what feels like more attention than usual and, sticking with the topic, I figured I should talk a bit about the NBA G League and the Clips’ participation in it.

The past Agua Caliente seasons have seemingly been nothing more than an opportunity for end-of-bench players to go down and play minutes that they’d never get with the big club. You know the names; Daniel Oturu, Mfiondu Kabengele, Jerome Robinson, Angel Delgado, etc. Many of the former Clippers would simply serve their time, occupy a roster spot, and then be moved on from a short while later. Now, it feels like the NBA G League isn’t just a routine sentencing for young guys before being moved; it feels like there’s an actual purpose. For the first time in a while, the Clips have players playing in the G League that could actually be in the team’s long-term plans. Here’s a look at three key guys who have received minutes for the Agua Caliente Clippers thus far this season.

Keon Johnson:

The 21st overall pick in the 2021 draft, Keon Johnson has had a relatively quiet beginning to his career, which isn’t exactly a surprise given that Johnson is a raw 19-year old rookie who’d have a long shot at cracking a contending team’s rotation in year one. He did have some flashes during the Summer League but has hardly been seen since then due to injuries he battled throughout most of the preseason and some of the beginning of the regular season. So, for several reasons, perhaps no other Clipper needs these G League reps more than Keon. 

Fortunately, Keon is back on the court and has looked increasingly more refined as a basketball player. The sample size is small (just two games), and the competition isn’t NBA quality, but the same can be said for the Summer League, where he looked a lot less polished as a player. More than anything else, he has shown a lot of growth as a ball-handler through the two G League games. Johnson’s use of pick-and-roll has been noteworthy and is an important development, seeing how Ty Lue seemed to be running Keon some at the point guard position during training camp. His jump shot also looks a bit smoother, specifically when he takes shots off the dribble. Overall, the development over the months has been encouraging, and it’ll be important for Keon to keep getting these reps as he makes his way into the NBA rotation in years to come.

Brandon Boston:
Like Johnson, Brandon Boston Jr. is amid a solid start to G League play. He’s played four games and has averaged 13.75 points. What’s important regarding Boston’s G League action, though, is his need to play well in areas of the game where he’ll be asked to deliver when he sees the NBA court. In an ideal world, Boston will step foot onto a contending Clippers team this or next season, and he’ll have to be a reliable 3-and-D guy. Hopefully, he can add a bit of muscle to his frame and progress as both a team and individual defender as the season progresses. 

Additionally, his off-the-bounce bag will always be part of his game and is good to have for times when the Clips need some scoring creation, but it’s more important now that he has utility and play-ability when the ball isn’t in his hands. He’ll need it if he wants to share the court at some point with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.

Serge Ibaka:

The surprise addition to the Agua Caliente roster has obviously been Serge Ibaka. But given the context, it makes sense to see his name in the lineup. The context, of course, is that Ibaka asked to go down to the G League on assignment as he looks for reps to knock off some rust in his return from surgery. 

It’s hard to jump to any conclusions regarding Ibaka’s stint, but I’ll try anyway. His shot hasn’t been falling and by no means has he looked like an NBA player playing against inferior talent, which probably isn’t the intent. However, the eye test is more important than whatever the box scores say. I’m not looking for Serge to go out and dominate to the tone of 25 points and 15 rebounds per game. Rather, I find it more critical that Serge looks to be moving well on both sides of the ball without any issues. Game reps will ultimately get him back into the groove of things as far as shooting, chemistry, and timing go. It seems like he has a ways to go.

That’s it for this check in on the Agua Caliente Clippers. We will try to keep more updates coming as the season progresses.

Checking in on the Agua Caliente Clippers
Cole Huff

The Agua Caliente Clippers announced their roster for the 2021 G-League season, which will begin next Wednesday, February 10th in Orlando. The G-League season will consist of 15 games for each of the 18 participating teams, with the top eight teams then competing for a single-game elimination tournament from March 8th to March 11th.

The G-League season will be held at the Disney Resort in Orlando, and will be a “bubble” like that the NBA had from July to October for the 2020 NBA Playoffs. That means that there will presumably be no late additions or changes to these rosters due to the health and safety protocols in place. Most of the games will be on ESPN+, with a handful on NBA TV or ESPN2.

The Agua Caliente Clippers’ roster will contain several players who have been on the 2021 Clippers, including two-way players Amir Coffey and Jay Scrubb (who is still out recovering from his foot surgery), and 2020 second-round pick Daniel Oturu. Hopefully this opportunity will provide Coffey and Oturu with getting real chances to play, especially Oturu, who needs all the reps at a professional level that he can get.

In addition to Oturu and Coffey, other interesting names include Ky Bowman, who was on the training camp roster and played for the Warriors last year, as well as the two rookies from St. Mary’s Jordan Ford and Malik Fitts, who were also on the training camp roster. Also on the 2021 Agua Caliente Clippers roster are Donte Grantham and James Palmer Jr., who signed Exhibit 10 deals in 2019 and played down in Agua Caliente last year.

Last but not least, Clippers’ fan-favorite Tyrone (Ty) Wallace is also going to be in the bubble! Ty, of course, played in 92 games for the Clippers across the 2017 to 2019 seasons, and also appeared briefly in 14 games for the Hawks in the 2020 season. The only player on the roster with legitimate NBA experience, Ty will presumably hold a veteran leadership role, and will be auditioning to try to get back to the NBA level.

Check out the AC Clippers when their season starts next week (if you have ESPN+), and stay tuned. We won’t be covering the AC Clippers closely here at 213 Hoops, but if there’s any notable news or developments, we will be sure to provide updates.

Agua Caliente Clippers Release 2021 Roster
Robert Flom

Basic Information

Height: 6’8

Weight: 230 pounds

Position: Power forward/Center

Years in NBA: 1

Age: 25

Key Stats: 2.2 points, 0.8 rebounds, 0.6 assists, and 0.2 steals in 3.2 minutes per game across 13 games played on 73.3/100/71.4 shooting splits.

G-League Stats: 24 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.0 blocks in 33 minutes per game across 26 games on 51.8/35.6/75.3 shooting splits.

Contract Status: On the first year of a two-way contract, can only be signed to a two-way deal for one more season.

Expectations

After a season of limited NBA playing time, Johnathan Motley and his fans might have hoped that he would receive more minutes in 2020. However, those expectations were dashed with the arrival of Paul George and Kawhi Leonard, and the transformation of the Clips into title contenders. Maybe some people thought that Motley could win some minutes at center if Ivica Zubac struggled or Montrezl Harrell was traded, but the Clippers’ depth and starpower afforded virtually no room for fringe players.

Reality

Motley has played far less than even in 2019, scratching together just 41 minutes across 13 games. He’s played the fewest minutes of any player to check into a game for the 2020 Clippers, trailing even raw rookie Mfiondu Kabengele and fellow two-way player Amir Coffey. Motley has been completely relegated to garbage time, lacking the scant legit rotation minutes of the prior year.

Motley has therefore spent the bulk of the year in the G-League. Unfortunately, his numbers in Agua Caliente are somewhat worse than they were a season ago, with only his three-point shooting improving, and all other stats taking a hit. While he was probably never going to receive playing time this year, his failure to step forward in the G-League does not bode well for his NBA future.

Future with Clippers

It’s really tough to say what Motley’s future holds on the Clippers. On one hand, he’s cheap, has shown some legitimate scoring upside with a lot of energy, and is familiar with the team and culture. On the other, his standing as a tweener and poor defense leave a lot to be desired at the next level, and he’s not exactly a young prospect anymore. It’s possible he sticks around the Clips organization as an end-of the-bench guy, but it would not be surprising to see him depart this summer for more playing time or the chance of it somewhere else.

LA Clippers 2019-2020 Check-in: Johnathan Motley
Robert Flom