From Ajay Mitchell to N'Faly Dante, assessing the Clippers best potential draft fits (2024)

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It is NBA Draft week! As usual, the LA Clippers don’t have a pick worth getting too excited about. It’s a two-day event this year, but not for the Clippers. They’ll be taking the first round off for the third time in five years. We are here for Day/Round 2 of the draft. That’s when the Clippers select 46th overall.

Since the Clippers have only a mid-second-round pick, and since this draft does not excite me in the slightest, I have five players per position to discuss as possible targets. Even the best players in the world have flaws, and there’s no liability like a rookie learning the hard way on the NBA floor. With all of that said, I’ve found something in these players that is worth exploring as a possible draft pick or Exhibit 10 option after the draft. Our Sam Vecenie has his massive NBA Draft Guide out, so rankings will come from there.

Before we get into prospects, here is a look at the Clippers offseason depth chart, with a highlight on spots that could open up when free agency begins. Note that teams can have a maximum of 21 total players on a roster in the offseason, a maximum of 15 standard contracts once the season begins, and a maximum of three players on two-way contracts:

Point guard

Objective: A defensive playmaker (Clippers ranked 20th in opponent turnover percentage)

The Clippers had one of the better offensive point guards in the league in James Harden, and one of the better defensive point guards in Russell Westbrook. Both could be free agents, and 35 years old when next season begins. The presence of Bones Hyland, who could be a free agent in 2025, means the Clippers don’t need a shoot-first small guard. But LA kept 2021 lottery pick Joshua Primo on the roster from training camp until the final weekend of the season, and Xavier Moon’s two-way contract eligibility with the team has been exhausted. A bigger guard with potential two-way utility is a possible target on a two-way contract.

• Ajay Mitchell, Santa Barbara (Rank: 30)
• Trey Alexander, Creighton (Rank: 44)
• Tristen Newton, Connecticut (Rank: 46)
• KJ Simpson, Colorado (Rank: 53)
• Exhibit 10: Reece Beekman, Virginia (Rank: 61)

Mitchell fits the size and length threshold at 6 foot 3, 197 pounds with a 6-foot-6 wingspan, and he produced all over the floor in the Big West, averaging 20.0 points, four rebounds, four assists, 1.2 steals and 1.1 3s. Alexander has experience both on and off the ball, a proficient midrange game and exceptional length for a 6-3 guard (6-11 wingspan). Newton is another 6-3 guard with length (6-7 wingspan). He has earned accolades as a back-to-back champion and the NCAA tournament’s Most Outstanding Player of the 2024 Final Four, and he averaged 5.2 free-throw attempts per game, 6.6 rebounds and 1.8 3s per game. Simpson is only 6 feet, but he is an active on-ball defender (1.6 steals per game) who rebounds (5.8 per game). He is capable as a scorer (five free-throw attempts per game), passer (4.9 assists per game) and shooter (43.4 percent 3s, 87.6 percent free throws). Beekman is only 6-1 and he doesn’t shoot, but he has a 6-7 wingspan and should be a defensive playmaker after averaging 1.8 steals over four years.

Shooting guard

Objective: A catch shooter (Clippers ranked last in catch-and-shoot 3s made and attempted, per Second Spectrum)

The last draft the Clippers selected a guard was in 2021 (Keon Johnson, Jason Preston and Brandon Boston Jr.). Johnson was traded in 2022, Preston was waived in 2023 and Boston is a free agent in 2024. The Clippers had the fewest passes per game in the league last season, and a large part of that is the complete lack-of-catch shooters. That should not be confused with a lack of quality shooting, as only the Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder and Minnesota Timberwolves were more accurate on catch-and-shoot 3s last season than LA. Terance Mann and Norman Powell are both under contract, but the Clippers could use a big guard to develop.

• Cam Spencer, Connecticut (Rank: 38)
• Terrence Shannon Jr., Illinois (Rank: 39)
• Jaylen Wells, Washington State (Rank: 50)
• Kevin McCullar Jr., Kansas (Rank: 55)
• Exhibit 10: Boogie Ellis, Southern California (Rank: 77)

Spencer is an NCAA champion who made 44 percent 3s and 91.1 percent free throws last season. He competes for rebounds (4.9 per game) and steals (1.5 per game), and he demonstrated a strong feel for the game (3.6 assists per game). Shannon is huge for the position (6-6, 219 pounds, 6-foot-9 wingspan). Though he isn’t the cleanest shooter (36.2 percent on 3s) or decision-maker (only 2.3 assists per game), Shannon uses his size to score at a high level (23.0 points and 8.6 free-throw attempts per game).

Myles Rice kicks it out to Jaylen Wells! 👌 pic.twitter.com/JGBF5cZcaH

— Pac-12 Network (@Pac12Network) March 15, 2024

Wells is the only non-senior shooter I’m interested in; he won’t be 21 until August. He’s 6-7 and shot 41.7 percent from 3 for the Cougars. McCullar showed he could play with the ball in his hands, attempting 5.7 free throws, 4.1 assists and 1.5 3s per game (only 33.3 percent accuracy) for the Jayhawks; he also is active as a rebounder (6.0) and defender (1.5 steals) and has great size (6-5, 206 pounds, 6-9 wingspan). Ellis, the leading shot taker for a Trojans team that had point guard prospect Isaiah Collier on it, has worked out multiple times for the Clippers. He is undersized (6-1, 185 pounds) but long (6-7 wingspan) and he improved his 3-point shooting to 41.8 percent while making three per game.

Small forward

Objective: A wing defender (Clippers ranked in 19th in points per possession allowed in isolations, per Synergy)

Nine-time All-Star Paul George will be a free agent if he declines his player option, so this is a critical area of the roster. President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank often says you can never have too many wings, although the team was as thin on the wing, at least in terms of ones who Tyronn Lue played, last year as any time in recent memory. Adding a wing would be more of a priority if the team did not draft Jordan Miller last season.

• Cam Christie, Minnesota (Rank: 33)
• Nikola Đurišić, Serbia (Rank: 37)
• Pelle Larsson, Arizona (Rank: 49)
• Melvin Ajinca, France (Rank: 57)
• Exhibit 10: David Jones, Memphis (Rank: 83)

Christie started last year with two smaller guards in Elijah Hawkins and Mike Mitchell; I have him on the board only because he’s young and can shoot (39.1 percent on 3s). Đurišić has on-ball upside and comes from Mega, the same team that Ivica Zubac played for. Larsson is another wing who started with two smaller guards in college (Kylan Boswell and Caleb Love). He is here because of his high-floor offense off the ball. Ajinca has the requisite size for the position (6-7, 214 pounds) and is a young shooter. Jones had a rough combine and has a disastrous 1.8:3.0 assist-turnover ratio, but he was incredibly productive on both sides of the ball last season, averaging 21.8 points (6.8 free-throw attempts), 7.6 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 2.5 3s (38 percent) for the Tigers.

Power forward

Objective: A power forward capable of rebounding like a power forward (Clippers ranked 24th in defensive rebound percentage)

Kawhi Leonard returned to All-Star status last season for the first time since his 2021 ACL tear. But the Clippers moving George and Leonard up a spot positionally coincided with Leonard’s worst rebounding season since leaving San Antonio in 2018 and George’s worst rebounding season since 2015. The rebounding from the bench forwards was significantly worse. Athletic size has been an issue for the Clippers for years, and that now includes the stars. P.J. Tucker is a player the Clippers should be looking to move on from, but the Clippers used a first-round pick on Kobe Brown last season, so that lowers the chance that the Clippers spend back-to-back picks at the position.

• Jonathan Mogbo, San Francisco (Rank: 43)
• Harrison Ingram, North Carolina (Rank: 54)
• Enrique Freeman, Akron (Rank: 60)
• Isaac Jones, Washington State (Rank: 69)
• Exhibit 10: Ulrich Chomche, NBA Academy Africa (Rank: 82)

Mogbo averaged 10.1 rebounds per game, and though he has no 3-point range, he can pass (3.6 assists per game), finish (14.2 points per game, 63.6 percent field goals) and make plays defensively (1.6 steals per game). Ingram is here for the rebounding (8.8 per game), exceptional wingspan (7-feet despite measuring at 6-foot-5, 233 pounds) and improvement as a shooter (1.8 3s per game, 38.5 percent). The theme is rebounding, and no one had more per game in the NCAA than Freeman (12.9) while measuring at 6-7 with a 7-2 wingspan.

Going to work! @ZipsMBB star and #GLeagueEliteCamp Call-Up, Enrique Freeman (@EnriqueFreeman_) continues to SHOW OUT at the #NBACombine ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/bJVu2Dqv0v

— NBA G League (@nbagleague) May 15, 2024

Jones played with big centers in Oscar Cluff and Rueben Chinyelu (both 6-foot-11) at Washington State, so Jones’ size at 6-8 and 235 pounds with a 7-3 wingspan is intriguing given his ability to score (5.5 free-throw attempts per game), rebound (7.6 per game) and block shots (1.1 per game). Chomche won’t turn 19 until December, and his measurables are exceptional (6-10, 232 pounds, 7-4 wingspan); he has the physical tools to eventually be a special defender, but he’s not ready to play right now.

Center

Objective: Athletic size capable of rim protection (Clippers ranked 15th in blocks)

Zubac is a strong post presence and about as good a rim protector as any in the league. But the Clippers’ backup situation left plenty to be desired. Mason Plumlee and Daniel Theis are both free agents over the age of 30, but the Clippers want to see what they have this summer in Kai Jones and Moussa Diabaté, so I would guess the Clippers are unlikely to take a center.

• Oso Ighodaro, Marquette (Rank: 42)
• PJ Hall, Clemson (Rank: 45)
• Quinten Post, Boston College (Rank: 48)
• N’Faly Dante, Oregon (Rank: 63)
• Exhibit 10: Jamarion Sharp, Mississippi (Rank: NR)

Ighodaro is not a rebounder or a shooter, and he lacks size (6-10, 222 pounds) and length (6-11 wingspan), but he is a great leaper who may eventually approximate Plumlee’s playmaking ability (2.9 assists per game) while making plays on defense (1.1 steals, 1.3 blocks per game). If Ighodaro is a Plumlee comparison, then Hall is a Theis comparison as a short, bulky center with a perimeter game and the ability to block shots. I think Hall has more upside as a scorer (18.3 points on 4.5 free-throw attempts per game). Post is going to be 25 in March and he had the worst vertical leap of the combine, but he is a 7-footer who can pass, shoot and play in the paint on both ends. Dante is a huge center (6-10, 260 pounds, 7-6 wingspan) who is active on the glass (9.2 rebounds) and defensively (1.7 steals, 1.9 blocks) while scoring 17.0 points on 69.5 percent field goals for the Ducks. Sharp is 7-foot-5 and has worked out for the Clippers — he’s basically 21st century Keith Closs, so I’m going to see if he winds up getting a shot after the draft.

(Top photo of Cam Christie: David Berding / Getty Images)

Law Murray is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the LA Clippers. Prior to joining The Athletic, he was an NBA editor at ESPN, a researcher at NFL Media and a contributor to DrewLeague.com and ClipperBlog. Law is from Philadelphia, Pa., and is a graduate of California University of Pennsylvania and the University of Southern California. Follow Law on Twitter @LawMurrayTheNU