2023 NBA Draft Team Recap: LA Clippers
It has been a pretty uneventful 2023 NBA offseason for the LA Clippers, where they have essentially kept the roster status quo outside of their two draft picks, signing Mason Plumlee and trading for Kenyon Martin Jr.
Of course, this could get flipped upside down very quickly should they make the move to acquire the disgruntled James Harden from the Philadelphia 76ers but until then they will be running it back with last year's roster plus Kobe Brown and Jordan Miller.
With the No. 30 overall pick, we saw the Clippers take a similar approach to what other expensive, veteran contending teams will be doing under the new NBA CBA. Kobe Brown is an experienced 23-year-old senior out of Missouri that will ideally be able to come in and contribute sooner rather than later. He is a bulky 6-foot-7 forward that is coming off a statistically outlier year that put him squarely in first round discussions.
Not only did he shoot over 50% from the field this past season but also an impressive 46% from beyond the 3-point line after never shooting better than 25% in his previous three years for the Tigers. While it was a drastic improvement and a one year sample, Brown did continue that hot shooting at NBA Summer League in Las Vegas. On his way to averaging 15 points and seven rebounds he shot 43% from the 3-point line on 30 total attempts.
While the path to playing time may not be immediate for Brown - barring the trade for Harden which would realistically deplete the Clippers overall depth - it is much more clear a year from now. All of Marcus Morris Sr., Robert Covington and Nicola Batum are in their mid 30s and on expiring contracts. Batum, for one, has already publicly stated this will be his last year in the NBA before retiring after the 2024 Olympic games.
Sticking with this philosophy, the Clippers selected another 23-year-old with their lone second round pick. Jordan Miller was actually a super senior for Miami (FL) this past season after spending his first three seasons at George Mason. The 6-foot-7 wing will start out his career on a two-way in LA and will most likely spend most of his rookie season with the Ontario Clippers.
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