Our exit interview series on the 2024 Clippers continues with the Clippers’ other backup center, Mason Plumlee.

Basic Information

Height: 6’10

Weight: 254 pounds

Position: Center

Age: 34

Years in NBA: 11

Key Stats: 5.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 14.7 minutes per game across 46 games (11 starts) on 56.9/70.7 shooting splits.

Expectations

Mason Plumlee ended up being a lifesaver for the Clippers during the 2022-23 season. The lack of a true backup center hurt the team early on (before his arrival) and he fit in well enough to the point where fans often wondered how many more wins the Clippers would have had if they had acquired a backup center sooner.

Coming into the 2023-24 season, the same role was expected of Plumlee. That was to provide relief for Ivica Zubac while bringing his brand of energy and play around the rim to the second unit.

Reality

Unfortunately for Plumlee, he suffered a knee injury during the first month of the regular season that ended up sidelining him for a few months. When he returned, his spot in the rotation had been taken by Daniel Theis, whom the Clippers had signed as an emergency stop-gap due to Plumlee’s injury.

For the remainder of the regular season, Plumlee and Theis often alternated as the first center off the bench depending on the matchup at hand. But in the playoffs, Theis was relegated to the bench while Plumlee assumed full-time backup center duties.

Plumlee was not very effective against the Dallas Mavericks: he shot a career-low 38.9 percent from the field in the first round. That’s not even going into his defense.

Future with Clippers

Plumlee enters the 2024 offseason as an unrestricted free agent. The Clippers will still need a capable backup center and it’s unlikely they keep both Plumlee and Theis.

Despite the playoff letdown, Plumlee is still an effective backup center. He is going to have no shortage of suitors on the free agent market. Re-signing him is not a bad option for the Clippers. The free agent center crop is slim pickings, with no other available player undeniably better than Plumlee.

Unless the Clippers can swing a trade for a better backup center, re-signing Plumlee is the best way to go. Size still matters in this league. Plumlee’s skill-set is still necessary for this team.

2024 Clippers Exit Interview: Mason Plumlee
David Yapkowitz

Our player preview series for the 2024 Clippers continues with Mason Plumlee, the team’s backup center.

Basic Information

Height: 7’0

Weight: 255 pounds

Position: Center

Age: 33

Years in NBA: 10

Key Clippers Stats: 7.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks in 19.9 minutes per game across 23 games played (4 starts) on 72.7/77.2 shooting splits for 76.1% TS in regular season

Contract Status: Signed a 1 year, $5M deal this summer

Expectations

Mason Plumlee is locked in as the Clippers’ backup center, with almost no viable competition. The Clippers’ small-ball experiment miserably failed last season, which is what prompted the acquisition of Plumlee in the first place, and the only other big man on the roster outside of Plumlee and starter Ivica Zubac is the raw second-year Moussa Diabate. If Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are healthier this season the Clippers’ small-ball units should be much better, but Plumlee is going to play every game he’s available in with a minutes range from the mid-teens to mid-twenties depending on Zubac’s effectiveness and foul trouble. On the court, Plumlee will be expected to rebound the ball on both ends, finish on pick and rolls and putbacks around the rim, and protect the basket on defense. If he checks all those boxes, he will be exactly what the Clippers need.

Strengths

A legitimate 7-footer with good strength and still solid athleticism, Plumlee remains an excellent finisher around the rim. He uses that size, smarts, and experience to collect offensive rebounds and finish quickly through contact. While not a premier roll man like peak DeAndre Jordan or Clint Capela, Plumlee is still more than capable of setting big screens and then running to the rim for easy catch and finishes. He’s shot at least 71.4% from 0-3 feet since the 2018 season and was at a fantastic 76.6% mark last year. If you give him the ball around the hoop, he’s probably going to score – through free throws have historically been an adventure when fouled.

While not Jokic level (who is?), Plumlee is an excellent playmaker for a big man. He is adept at running dribble hand-offs, can make simple reads out of the short roll, and is a good interior passer. Given minutes and touches, Plumlee has generated up to four assists per game, and is at a very solid 2.5 per game across his career. More importantly, Plumlee is not particularly turnover prone, with a more than solid 2.5:1.5 assist to turnover ratio. He can absolutely be a hub of second-unit offenses, and is more than happy to serve more as a playmaker instead of scorer.

Finally, Mason Plumlee has one key strength that the 2024 Clippers are in desperate need of – availability. Plumlee has played fewer than 70 games just twice in his 10 year career, and in those seasons he appeared in 61 and 56 games, which for the Clippers is practically a good health season. Between the rock-steady Zubac and Plumlee, the Clippers should hopefully have their full complement of big men available the vast majority of the season (knock on wood).

Weaknesses

Honestly, for a traditional big man, Plumlee does not have many weaknesses, as he does most “big man” things fairly well. He’s certainly not a go-to scorer and can’t shoot, which means the Clippers can’t play him with another big man – but that shouldn’t matter for a team that prefers to play small anyway. Playing as a solo big man means the lack of shooting doesn’t matter a ton either, as long as there’s shooting around him. Playing him with multiple other non-shooters or poor shooters could be tricky, but the Clippers have enough shooting to avoid such situations.

Plumlee is not a great defensive player. He’s not a total sieve, but he’s definitely not switchable on the perimeter and will need to play in drop coverage most of the time. Unfortunately, he’s also not a great rim protector, though he suffices well enough there. The Clippers will need to put good defenders around him to make up for some of Plumlee’s defensive deficiencies, and those defensive weaknesses are the primary reason he won’t usurp Zubac as the starter (though some Clippers’ fans would certainly root for that outcome).

Lastly, Plumlee is 33, and will turn 34 in March if he’s still on the Clippers by then. While not ancient, the mid-30s is when players really start dropping off, and for a guy without much “skill” outside of passing, any athletic dip could damage Plumlee’s impact significantly on both ends. He’s not the player most at risk of such a fall, but he’s just one of many players on the Clippers who was much better five years ago – which is not exactly ideal.

Summary

Mason Plumlee has historically been a low-level starter or one of the better backup centers in the NBA, and while there has to be some fear of a fall-off considering his age, he showed no signs of slowing down last year. On a very affordable one-year deal, Plumlee has some trade value, but there’s no real reason the Clippers would want to move him, and they seem to love him in the locker room. Mason Plumlee will likely be the Clippers’ backup center throughout the 2024 season and serve as the fill-in starter when Ivica Zubac is not available.

Clippers 2023-2024 Season Preview: Mason Plumlee
Robert Flom

The Clippers have brought back the last of their free agents, as it was announced today that they will re-sign Mason Plumlee to a one-year, $5M deal.

Plumlee was acquired at the February 2023 trade deadline for Reggie Jackson and a second round pick, and thrived off the bench for the Clippers in the backup center role. Plumlee averaged 7.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in just 19.9 minutes per game across 23 regular season games for the Clippers, and upped that production to 8.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 18.2 minutes during the Clippers’ first round loss to the Suns.

The one year, $5M deal is an excellent one for the veteran center, as Plumlee, despite defensive deficiencies, is one of the best backup big men in the NBA. The one year deal will also enable the Clippers to sign him to a longer deal next summer, or let him go as needed to keep under the second apron. It was noted by Woj that Plumlee turned down larger deals to stay with the Clippers and compete, which is very cool. Also notable: no such thing was mentioned about Russ, so the notion to me that he “passed down much bigger deals” elsewhere remains a conjecture (and not a likely one in my opinion). Usually when players do turn down bigger deals, it’s mentioned, both to keep the agent pleased and to put the player in a favorable light.

With this signing, the Clippers’ depth chart is now complete. If anything, the Clippers are once again overflowing with rotation players, another indication that a major deal (more than just dumping Marcus Morris) is coming. Bringing back Plumlee also does enable the Clippers to feel a bit more comfortable with trading Ivica Zubac, which has been rumored, though Plumlee’s significantly worse play on defense than Big Zu does not make me feel comfortable with such a notion.

Mason Plumlee quickly became a fan favorite on the Clippers due to his playmaking and finishing as well as flair (to put it kindly) as a ballhandler in the opencourt. It’s good to see he will be sticking around another year. Welcome back, Mase!

Clippers Re-Sign Mason Plumlee to One Year Deal
Robert Flom

Our exit interview series on the 2023 Clippers continues with a look at backup center Mason Plumlee.

Basic Information

Height: 6’11

Weight: 254 pounds

Position: Center

Age: 33

Years in NBA: 10

Key Regular Season Stats: 7.5 points, 1.7 assists, 6.9 rebounds, 0.5 steals, 0.5 blocks, 1.3 turnovers in 19.9 minutes per game across 23 games played (four starts) on 72.7/77.2 (2.5 FTA) shooting splits.

Postseason Stats: 8.2 points, 1.8 assists, 6.8 rebounds, 0.4 steals, 0.4 blocks, 0.6 turnovers in 18.2 minutes per game across five games played (zero starts) on 87.5/92.9 (2.8 FTA) shooting splits.

Expectations

It a was huge sigh of relief for Clippers fans when Mason Plumlee was acquired at the trade deadline. Fans had been clamoring for a backup center since the offseason when Isaiah Hartenstein signed with the New York Knicks. Throughout the first half of the season the lack of a true backup showed. The Clippers routinely got hammered on the boards with small lineups and had no real rim protection in the second unit.

Plumlee had been having a solid season on a bad Charlotte Hornets team and was a prime candidate to be moved to a contender. He was one of the top centers available on the trade market.

Reality

Overall, Plumlee did his job. During the first few games of his Clippers tenure, he showed precisely why the team needed a backup center in the worst way. In fact, fans on social media often wondered what the Clippers record would have looked like had they had a competent backup center from the beginning of the season.

Plumlee brought a lot of energy to the second unit on both ends of the court. His activity on the boards and penchant for diving after loose balls kept a lot of possessions alive for the Clippers. He was efficient offensively too. He’s a strong finisher at the basket and his teammates looked for him.

There were times when Plumlee tried to do a little too much, especially when it came to him handling the ball and being a playmaker. But he has that ability as long as it’s harnessed in spurts. He’s almost like a Hartenstein-lite in that regard. Plumlee’s best playmaking came when he was passing out of the post or at the top of the key/high post/elbow areas. He was less efficient trying to handle the ball and initiate.

Future with Clippers

Plumlee heads into the 2023 offseason as an unrestricted free agent. The Clippers find themselves in the same situation they were a year ago with Isaiah Hartenstein. Plumlee played well enough that he will most definitely have other suitors on the free agent market.

The Clippers saw what happened at the beginning of last season when they lacked a real backup center. They should not make that mistake again. As long as it doesn’t break the bank, the Clippers should re-sign Plumlee this offseason.

2023 Clippers Exit Interview: Mason Plumlee
David Yapkowitz

Our more in-depth look at the Clippers’ new acquisitions continues with an examination of Mason Plumlee and his fit on the Clippers.

Basic Information

Height: 6’11

Weight: 255 pounds

Position: Center

Age: 32 (Turns 33 March 5)

Years in NBA: 10

2023 Stats: 12.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 0.6 blocks in 28.5 minutes per game shooting 66.9% from the field and 60.5% from the line (4.6 attempts)

Strengths

Rebounding: Mason Plumlee is not exactly a dominant rebounder, but he is a very good one, and that’s something the Clippers have lacked outside of Ivica Zubac (not counting Moses Brown). Plumlee is 19^th in the NBA (among 193 players with at least 1000 minutes played) in total rebounding percentage (Zu is 12^th), and is 12^th on offensive rebound percentage (Zu is 9^th). In short, the Clippers will always have a very good rebounder on the floor at once outside of what I imagine would be rare-ish occasions when they go small. The offensive rebounding is particularly important, as it usually results in easy baskets – and that’s been tough to come by for the Clippers this year.

Passing: The most unique trait Plumlee brings as an NBA player is his passing for a big man. Averaging 3.7 assists per game, Plumlee is more than capable of making plays for others out of the post, out of the elbow, at the top of the key, or running dribble hands-offs. He’s not a Jokic-level passer, but he’s probably about as good as Isaiah Hartenstein, and we all saw how valuable Hart’s passing was last year. The Clippers’ second unit has frequently struggled this season in creating open looks on offense and getting their offense out of ISO ball (so have their starters, to be fair), and Mason Plumlee will help with that. Honestly, if Eric Gordon and Norm Powell are the two main ball handlers on the second unit, it would not be surprising if the Clippers’ ran their offense through Plumlee for stretches, as he’s a better passer than either of those guards.

Finishing: Mason is a fairly limited offensive player. He gets assisted on 62.3% of his two point makes (Zubac is at 68.1%), and takes almost all of his shots around the rim. However, in his wheelhouse, he is quite effective. His overall field goal percentage of 66.9% is fantastic, and he’s much better than that right at the basket – 76.4% (Zu is at 70% exactly). Plumlee isn’t as athletic as he was 5 or 10 years ago but is still a powerful finisher due to his height, size, and hands, and absolutely has the athleticism to finish lobs or put-backs. Having another big body around the rim who can flush down easy looks will go a long way towards helping the Clippers’ second unit offense.

Weaknesses

Perimeter Footspeed: Mason Plumlee was never the fleetest of foot, and approaching age 33 and with lots of miles on him, his lateral movement has dropped off some. The Clippers will face some of the same difficulties in playing defense that they do with Zubac, or other traditional big men – they can’t switch as much, and need to play tight in drop coverage so the bigs don’t get torched in space. Against teams that can really expose big men (the Mavs, Warriors, and Suns come to mind), Plumlee might have limited utility, opening the door for smaller second units that can switch more readily.

Shooting: Or lack thereof. Mason Plumlee takes 95% of his shots in the 0-3 and 3-10 foot range, per basketball reference, with the occasional midrange jumper thrown in for fun. He’s a very traditional center in that way, and while the Clippers don’t need everyone on the roster to be a three-point shooter, having extra room in the paint for Norm Powell and Eric Gordon to drive would be nice. Still, Plumlee’s screens should help free up those guys and get them downhill to hopefully make up for the more crowded painted area.

Fit

Mason Plumlee is an extremely snug fit as the Clippers’ backup center. His passing should help juice up a playmaking-deficient guard rotation, his size and defense will help anchor the previously too-small reserve units, and he will gobble up rebounds. If Ivica Zubac ever gets injured (knock on wood) or is in foul trouble, Plumlee is an ideal replacement as someone who does many of the same things Zu does (though he’s worse defensively).

A veteran who has been in the NBA for a decade and appeared in 60 playoff games, Plumlee is someone who the Clippers can trust in fairly high-leverage situations. Against the best big men in the NBA (who happen to be the best players in the NBA, period), you need multiple defenders, and if the Clippers run up against Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, or Giannis Antetokounmpo, they will have need of Plumlee’s services.

Mason Plumlee is not a star, and won’t bring a ton of pizzaz to the Clippers outside of some passing chops. He is, however, a steady reliable presence who should help make the Clippers more competent on both ends. For a guy who was acquired for a bench guard and a second round pick, that’s a pretty good deal.

Mason Plumlee: Clippers’ Fit and Scouting Report
Robert Flom

Our 213 Hoops roundtable series on the 2023 Clippers’ trade deadline deals continues with a look at the acquisition of Mason Plumlee for Reggie Jackson and a second round pick.

Niels Pineda: A+

As a believer that the Clippers would comfortably be in the top 4 of the Western Conference standings thus far with a competent backup big, getting front court depth was priority number 1 in my book. Boy did the Clippers deliver!  I’m not sure if there was a more ideal trade target for what the Clippers needed than Mason Plumlee, who has had a stellar year starting for the Hornets this season.  Even at 32 years old, Plumlee is having arguably the best year of his career by bringing a bit of everything to the table.  I’m excited to see how his passing can unlock the offense, similar to what Isaiah Hartenstein did last year.  While sentimentally I’m incredibly sad to see Reggie get moved, I’m happy to see that he’s working towards a buyout so that he can find a new contending home where he hopefully finds his groove (just not against the Clippers). Overall, I’m stoked about this deal for the Clippers!

Ralston Dacanay: A

The Clippers had an Isaiah Hartenstein-sized hole at center, and they might have just nabbed themselves the best backup big in the league via trade in Mason Plumlee (in what was rumored to be a popular deadline market for big men). Sure, it would’ve been cool to see Hart return, but it seems Plumlee can fill that role and then some. It sucks to see Reggie Jackson go, but feelings aside, this was a fantastic deal for LAC. Here’s to hoping Ty Lue and co. actually utilize him and Ivica Zubac enough moving forward.

Shapan Debnath: A

My biggest complaint about this deal is that it didn’t happen sooner. Plumlee brings a lot of what Isaiah Hartenstein brought: smart offensive player, very good passer, good rebounder. It’ll also keep the Clippers from constantly being so damn small with Zu out and watching players stroll into the paint. Really looking forward to seeing how Plumlee can raise that bench. It sucked to lose Clipper legend Reggie Jackson, but he (and importantly, not a first rounder) left getting the Clippers what they needed most positionally.

Lucas Hann: A

It’s not a sexy move, but the Clippers have needed a second center all season and they went and got a quality rotation big man who has played some good basketball in a terrible situation in Charlotte this year.  Plumlee’s passing will help one-star second unit lineups that now also won’t have a point guard, and he most importantly gives the Clippers center depth–the ability to stay big for 48 minutes, to not be completely ruined if Ivica Zubac is injured or gets into foul trouble, and even just to sub for Zubac and ride the “hot hand” on nights when Zu doesn’t have it.  Reggie Jackson (who deserves “Clipper For Life” status for his contributions and vibes over the years) was a spare part after the acquisition of Gordon, and even in a depth role, I think the Clippers will be looking for opportunities to get Bones Hyland minutes.  For the cost of 1 2028 second-round pick (which Ballmer Bucks will simply replace for cash in 5 years if needed), the Clippers basically added one of the league’s best backup centers for free.

David Mendez-Yapkowitz: A

This was probably the best move the Clippers made at the deadline. Plumlee absolutely addresses a need for the Clippers at backup center. He was having a career-year for the Hornets. He’s an effective finisher at the basket, a capable rebounder, and a decent passing big man. Ty Lue has had his affinity to go with small-ball lineups, but Plumlee gives him some legit size to help keep Zubac fresh and not have to play such heavy minutes. The Clippers have struggled at times when trotting out small lineups this season. It may have cost fan favorite Reggie Jackson, but Plumlee addresses what was arguably the Clippers biggest need.

Robert Flom: A

A’s across the board here! While Reggie is great, and I’m happy that he’s getting picked up by a championship contender, his time with the Clippers was coming to a close, and the Clippers were able to fill the biggest hole on their roster with him and a lone second round pick. Plumlee is a starting-caliber player who will be coming off the Clippers’ bench, and will add rim protection, rebounding on both ends, and passing to a unit that has needed all of those things. He also provides invaluable Zubac insurance in case of injury or foul trouble. The one downside for me is that this firmly pushes Robert Covington back out of the rotation, but that’s not on Plumlee. Plumlee has an awkward game, but it’s effective, and he will help the Clippers both in the regular and postseason.

213 Hoops Roundtable: Clippers Trade for Mason Plumlee
Robert Flom