The NBA Draft is coming up on October 16, which means The Game Haus will be doing draft profiles for each NBA team. Each day, a new team will be analyzed for their past season, their team needs and projected targets. Today, the Los Angeles Clippers will be evaluated.
Summary
The Los Angeles Clippers had a massive offseason, signing two-time NBA Champion and NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard. Along with Leonard came six-time All Star Paul George and the re-signing of Patrick Beverley and Lou Williams.
By far one of the teams most favored to win the title, the Clippers had a controversial regular season as star players were rested constantly. To the point that Kawhi Leonard almost never played in back-to-back games. This “load management” style of play was maligned by some, but it ultimately earned them the second overall seed in the Western Conference after the NBA restart.
Unfortunately, Los Angeles fell in seven games to the Denver Nuggets, continuing the franchise’s dubious honor of never reaching a Western Conference Finals. The Clippers were even up 3-1 in the series before collapsing, despite having all their players healthy and the newly-crowned Sixth Man of the Year, Montrezl Harrell.
Either way, with salary cap issues and dwindling contracts for both star and role players, the Clippers do not have long to get the team sorted out and cash in with a title. They have only one pick in the 2020 draft to help them along the way.
Picks
The Los Angeles Clippers have one pick in the 2020 NBA Draft
Second Round: Pick No. 57
Team Needs
Front court- The Clippers need many things in their front court. Depth, rim protection, scoring, new blood, new contracts, etc. This is the draft to get that done, as there are centers and big men up and down most draft boards. No need to out think the room with Harrell and Marcus Morris potentially leaving the team in free agency.
Projected Targets
Round 2, Pick No. 57: Omer Yurtseven, C (Georgetown)
Omer Yurtseven almost averaged a double-double last year. With 15.5 points and 9.8 rebounds per game last year, he is a true European center as he also averaged 1.2 assists per game and is not afraid to take a three-pointer.
Yurtseven is a late-round center that can add depth to the front court. (Photo by Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)
At seven feet tall, it is a bit surprising he does not block more shots. He almost had the same number of blocks as he did assists (1.5). Either way, he can average big minutes right away and will replace some skill sets if the Clippers truly do lose some key pieces in free agency.
Again, no need to overthink this pick. Yurtseven may be gone, but there are plenty of late-round centers the Clippers can take with this 57th (third-to-last) pick.
Featured image courtesy of Los Angeles Clippers
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