Ever since they drafted Blake Griffin over a decade ago, the Clippers’ draft history has been a little suspect. To be fair, they haven’t picked higher than 8th overall and that was the year after Griffin. So I guess they did pretty well. It’s not like they didn’t trade for Chris Paul. They had no pick this year in the first round due to the Marcus Morris trade during the season last year. Basically, they gave up a first-round pick this year for a player that only played 32 games.
Somehow they came out with one of the best players in the draft. In my opinion, he was the most slept on in the draft and the Clippers got him for a second-round pick. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t really sure who he was when I saw his name called but when you watch Daniel Oturu and his highlights, I question why he was not a first-round draft pick. He is a 20 and 10 guy that has a high motor and has excellent fundamentals for a big man and he also plays defense. He was quiet because he played on a struggling Minnesota team. The logic there is weird because Anthony Edwards, who went first overall, had a similar situation with his team in Georgia.
What Am I Missing?
Oturu had better individual statistics than Edwards even though they play two different positions. Even their teams had similar records. The only difference is that Minnesota played one less game. I get Edwards has more athleticism and can score. I don’t know if it’s just me, but it seemed like every player that was being talked about on ESPN was described as “A 3 and D player.” I would put in a silly metaphor here but I couldn’t think of anything funny.
Clippers Moves on Draft Night
On a side note, they drafted the possible replacement of Montrezl Harrell, a free agent this upcoming offseason. Landry Shamet, the first player since the collapse of the second round, got traded. The Clippers were part of a three-team trade that brought back Luke Kennard, a pretty good pick up for them. He played well even though he was on one of the worst teams in the league.
Overall, the Clippers did pretty well last night. They got a steal in the draft with a borderline lottery pick that may be part of their future. They also got a more productive shooter on their roster. As the Clippers are trying to change the pieces that they felt had cost them a chance at the conference finals, I don’t think this will be the last trade they make. Clipper fans be on the lookout for what else they do this offseason to get back in title contention.
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