The 2023 Las Vegas Summer League starts in two days, although the Clippers’ don’t play until late on Saturday. The Clippers don’t have any lottery picks of course, so there’s not huge excitement for their team around the league, but it’s still fun for fans who haven’t seen the Clippers play in two and a half months and to get a glimpse at the rookies. Here are just a few things to watch for in Summer League, with a focus on the Clippers’ actual rostered players.
Jason Preston
The Clippers pushing Preston’s contract guarantee date from July 2 (or July 7, there was some conflicting information there) to July 18 was more or less a blunt statement that Preston’s summer league could determine his future with the team. Therefore, nobody on the Clippers SL team has more at stake than Preston, as being a third-year “veteran” who doesn’t impress in Summer League is basically a death knell. Now, Preston didn’t play at all his rookie season and was in the G-League nearly all of last year, but he’s almost 24, so time is ticking.
There are a few things I’d like to see from Preston in Summer League. The first is some aggression. He averaged 16.7 points in the G-League on excellent efficiency, so he can definitely score, but I’d love to see him come out guns blazing – we all know he can pass, but can he consistently create his own shots? Second, and related, I want to see if he looks any quicker with the ball in his hands. Yes, it’s tough to get “faster”, but a tighter handle and quicker first step are certainly possible to develop, and if Preston is ever able to crack the NBA proper he needs to be able to get to the paint more. Finally, tying back to the first point, I want to see Preston taking more threes off the dribble. Doing so would really open up his driving and playmaking, and is becoming more and more of a necessity for modern point guards.
Moussa Diabate
The Clippers put out a two-way qualifying offer to Moussa, making him a restricted free agent. He could accept the qualifying offer and return as a two-way deal or he and the Clippers could negotiate a “real” NBA contract. Regardless, his spot on next year’s roster in some capacity is pretty certain – all reports are that the Clippers like Moussa a lot.
Still just 21 years old, Moussa remains a raw force on offense: even though he averaged 15.9 points per game in the G-League, a large chunk of those came off of offensive rebounds, free throws, or open dunks. I’m not expecting that rawness to go away, but I would like to see some improved strength from Moussa around the rim, both in powering through defenders and finishing through contact. Defensively, it would be nice to see him really dominate in Summer League, both as a rim protector as well as showcasing versatility in switching onto perimeter players. He’s going to be an energy and defense-first player at the NBA level, and that’s what I really hope pops this Summer League.
Kobe Brown
This will be Kobe’s first taste of basketball against professionals, and that steep increase in competition can be tough for rookies. Fortunately, Kobe is someone who has been described as being strong at fundamentals – just “knowing how to play”. I’d love for that to come across in Summer League, for Kobe to just look like he belongs out there.
In terms of on-court skills, the shot is the biggest thing for me. Kobe was highly effective from deep in his senior season after being a poor shooter his first three years in college, but the NBA three is a different beast than the college three. The biggest plus for me would be seeing Kobe let it rip comfortably from deep, ideally from all spots around the arc. Regardless of percentages (Summer League is obviously a miniscule sample size), Kobe’s ability to be a decent-volume three-point shooter from his position would be a game-changer for him.
Jordan Miller
Jordan Miller hasn’t signed his rumored two-way deal yet, which is interesting. It could be as straightforward as the Clippers have bigger fish to fry and not being in a rush for this one matter. It’s also possible that if the Clippers make a big consolidation trade, they’ll have room on the “regular” roster for Miller, and are holding out signing him until such a trade is made. There is also the chance that Miller is being discussed as a trade candidate – once a rookie is signed to a deal, they can’t be traded for 30 days, which is obviously a big deal for getting things done. It’s probably nothing, but it could be something to keep an eye on.
The swing skill for Miller is also three-point shooting, but I don’t want to be redundant and say that for him as well (though I will be keeping an eye on it). Instead, I’m going to be looking out for his quickness on both ends of the court. Even if he’s not a shot creator at the NBA level, can he attack closeouts and get to the rim off the dribble? On defense, can he stay in front of smaller guards using lateral quickness and size, as well as body up larger players? Even if the shot never comes around, if he’s a plus multi-positional defender who has a bit of “juice” on offense he should be able to have an NBA career.
Xavier Moon
At 28.5 years old, there’s not much for Moon to show in Summer League. The Clippers probably brought him in largely to have a steadier hand at point guard (having that experience to set guys up makes a world of difference in the chaos, pickup-ball style setting in Vegas) rather than to see anything new from him. It looks like Moon does not have a two-way deal set for next year, so it’s possible that the Clippers bring him back – but whether they do or not probably does not depend on Summer League. If anything, this is probably more of a showcase for Moon in front of other teams to see if a team with more room decides he’s worth a shot. Hopefully Moon runs the offense comfortably, picks his spots on when to score, and plays some feisty defense to help set the tone.
The Other Guys
The Clippers’ Summer League team, as Lucas wrote about a few days ago, is composed largely of international veterans rather than undrafted rookies. This goes back to the Clippers taking two old seniors in the draft – they are looking for ready-now contributors, not high-upside prospects.
The Clippers right now have a full roster, with 16 players (counting Preston’s unguaranteed deal) on NBA deals. Moussa, Miller, and Moon are all likely to outside shots at two-way deals, meaning it’s very possible the Clippers have no actual open spots right now. All that could change with a Harden trade that clears room on the roster to bring Moussa (or even Miller) on full-time. I’d say it’s quite possible the Clippers have at least one if not two, two-way spots available in a few weeks.
Thus, this is a great chance for these other players to show out and try to get a spot in the Clippers’ training camp at least. Xavier Castaneda, an undrafted rookie from Akron, has reportedly been offered one spot. As a point guard, he has an uphill battle to make the roster, but he did put up big numbers last year in college. There are some other interesting names, like Brodric Thomas and Nate Renfro, but the guy I’m keeping an eye on is Matt Morgan, who was an MVP Finalist in the French LNB Pro A league last year. He’s an exceptional three-point shooter and speedy with the ball in his hands, and after looking at some stats and watching some clips, I’d probably take him over Moon on a two-way. It will be interesting to see how he looks in Summer League.
