3 Second-Round Prospects Clippers Must Target With the No. 36 Pick

The majority of the talk around the Los Angeles Clippers ahead of the June 23 NBA Draft has been centered around the fifth-overall pick and rightfully so. Not only did the Clippers luck out to land this pick from Indiana, but it is also the franchise's first time picking in the top five since 2009, when they took Blake Griffin first overall.

While the fifth pick has a chance to bring a franchise-changing talent, whether at the guard spot or in the frontcourt, the Clippers also have two second-round picks in this draft.

LA’s two second-round selections sit at No. 36 and No. 52. In some drafts, second-round picks can be overlooked and undervalued, but this year's draft, a pick from that 31-40 range is equivalent to a first in most drafts. With that, let's focus on three potential options for Lawrence Frank with the No. 36 pick.

Tounde Yessoufou, SF/SG, Baylor, Freshman

If the Clippers do use the fact that they have a top-five pick as an excuse to enter a long-awaited rebuild and trade away Kawhi Leonard, Baylor’s Tounde Yessoufou has to be the pick. Yessoufou is the fun project player every rebuilding team needs because if he can develop properly and hit his potential, they may have just stolen an All-Star in round two.

This past season, the freshman wing averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 29.3 percent from three. Yessoufou is built like a human bulldozer and would enter the league with an already ideal NBA body.

During his lone season with the Bears, he used his body to get into the lane and overpower defenders on his way to the rim. He uses his freaky athleticism in those situations to create crazy highlights and have impressive finishes. Both his frame and athleticism also made him a very effective rebounder.

The questions with Yessoufou come in when talking about how he affects the game outside of just being a brute force on the way to the rim. Defensively, he has the tools but sometimes lacks the effort and awareness. Offensively, although he’s shown a decent mid-range game, his outside jumper needs a lot of work, and a lot of the time, he plays with tunnel vision that won’t get him on an NBA court.

However, if he can clean up those areas and given that he is 20 years old, I think he can, we are looking at a slightly worse version of Jaylen Brown.

Tarris Reed Jr., PF/C, UConn, Senior

Now for the immediate answer, UConn’s Tarris Reed Jr. This past season, the Huskies big man averaged 14.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.9 stocks (steals + blocks) per game.

In the second half of the season, the Clippers were dominated on the glass, and the hole left by Ivica Zubac’s departure became very clear. From day one, Reed Jr. could help fix that. He is an extremely active rebounder and plays with the all-over-the-place energy you want from a backup center.

On top of the rebounding, he also helps bring back some of the other things that made Zubac such a force for the Clippers. Reed Jr. is a very good screen setter. At UConn, he was used 10-plus times per game as an off-ball screener to create clean looks from the perimeter. He is also a very active defender and has great rim-protecting instincts, as reflected in the 2.0 blocks per game he averaged in his senior year.

The upside with Reed Jr. comes in his offensive game, as while he is a solid play finisher, there’s also some intriguing stuff in his passing and ball handling. For a big man, he has a solid handle and could eventually develop into an occasional initiator. In terms of passing, I’d like to see him continue to grow as a short-roll passer, as that part of his game is strong and, with more time, could be deadly in the pros.

If the Clippers want a day-one impact with the No. 36, then Tarris Reed Jr. has to be their guy.

Milan Momcilovic, PF/SF, Iowa State, Junior

In the modern NBA, teams need shooting, and the Clippers didn’t have nearly enough of it last season.

While Iowa State’s Milan Momcilovic just had a legendary shooting season for the Cyclones. This past season, Momcilovic averaged 16.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists while shooting 48.7 percent from three on over seven attempts per game.

He isn’t a flashy athlete, he isn’t some high-level defensive wing, he isn’t an elite passer, he doesn’t have an elite postgame, and he won’t be someone you build your team around. However, his floor spacing ability makes all of that easy to overlook. Whether it’s off the dribble, off the catch, curling off a screen, or even a no-dip three, no one in this class is more reliable in those areas than him, and for the Clippers, that should intrigue them.

If the front office still hasn’t decided on a direction by draft night, they should take Momcilovic because, no matter which path they take, he will be a seamless fit.

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