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.

Clippers 2026 Player Preview: Brook Lopez
Robert Flom

The Clippers made their third move of the 2025 free agency early this evening, inking Brook Lopez to a two year, $18M deal to serve as their new backup center.

Brook has played 17 years in the NBA, making him one of the longest tenured players in the league, and has started 1065 of his 1105 career regular season games. Brook spent the last seven years in Milwaukee alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, including winning a championship in 2021, and previously played for the Lakers and Nets.

It’s hard to view this signing as anything other than a win. While Brook is old and has declined in the past few years, he still averaged 13 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game for a good Milwaukee team last year. Compared to the abysmal set of backups the Clippers have had in recent years – Moses Brown, Kai Jones, Mo Bamba, and washed Mason Plumlee notably among them – those stats look incredible.

Brook’s biggest value comes on the defensive end. He’s been one of the best rim protectors in the league for the entirety of his tenure in Milwaukee, and was still highly effective on that end last year. He’s not versatile at all on defense – he plays almost exclusively in deep drop – but he’s very good at what he does do. Moreover, the Clippers are used to playing with a big in drop coverage with Ivica Zubac, so there should not be much acclimation needed on either end. Again, compared to Zu’s recent backups, the gap on defense is as big as Mount Everest. Brook has immense experience, has played in Finals games, and knows exactly where to be on defense.

That’s not all! The Clippers have been searching for a “stretch” center for what feels like a decade (remember Spencer Hawes, anyone?), and they finally found one. Brook started taking threes nine years ago, and since then has never taken fewer than 4.0 per game in a season with his lowest mark being 31.4%. Across his seven years in Milwaukee, Brook averaged 4.7 threes attempted per game at 35.7%. Not great for a shooting guard, but for a big man, those are massive numbers. Brook draws the defense and will consistently capitalize on open looks. That’s so important for bringing a different playstyle to the table for the Clippers.

Brook’s deal is also very reasonable. He’s old, but he has only had one season (2022) in the past decade where he’s missed more than a handful of games. He’s available and he fits with the team. If he declines at all next year, he should still be a competent backup, and then his deal will be expiring. Compared to other free agent big men who signed today – Clint Capela, Kevon Looney, and Luke Kornet – I think the Clippers got the best deal in terms of years and money for quality of player.

That’s not to say Brook is perfect. He is very old for an NBA player (37), and for guys that age the cliff can come at any time. The Clippers were already old, slow, and unathletic, and Brooks just makes them more so across the board. You’d wish for more dynamic, athletic play. But that type of play (at least from competent NBA big men) was just not available in this free agent class. The most talented center available is DeAndre Ayton, and I can think of fewer guys who are a worse fit for the new Clippers culture that has been established.

At the end of the day, this is just a good signing. It might not be an A+ because of the age concerns and lack of upside, but it’s easily a B+ and probably more like an A-. Good work by the Clippers in finally, finally getting a competent backup for Ivica Zubac.

Clippers Sign Brook Lopez To Two-Year Deal as Backup Center
Robert Flom