The Los Angeles Clippers have been on a roller coaster ride since acquiring Chris Paul in 2012, but the team was unable to get over the hump once again this season. The Clippers looked vulnerable through the playoffs, fighting off the Golden State Warriors in a seven-game series before being eliminated by the Oklahoma City Thunder in six. The franchise has larger questions looming over it, like the status of Donald Sterling's ownership, but still has to operate like the other 29 teams in the NBA.
Can Clippers find much-needed frontcourt depth?
The Clippers weren’t able to reach the Conference Finals and have glaring holes in their frontcourt. Their focus isn’t on the draft this season, though.
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The team took swing after swing last year, piecing together a roster full of role players. They succeeded with some, like backup point guard Darren Collison and off-ball shooting specialist J.J. Redick, but they struck out on plenty of others. Glen Davis, Hedo Turkoglu, a brief stint with Stephen Jackson and the complete whiff on Jared Dudley stand out when looking over the roster moves the team made. Making matters more complicated for their stable of role players, Collison is expected to opt out and test free agency.
The best news for the Clippers was the growth of Blake Griffin, who put together a career year and showed great development. His mid-range game improved and he consistently used his athleticism to beat his defender in one-on-one situations.
Their important pieces like Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford, DeAndre Jordan, Paul and Griffin are all on board for another season, but they'll need to tweak their roster this summer. They still have glaring weaknesses in their frontcourt and wing positions.
The assets
Pick: No. 28
Free Agents: Darren Collison (option), Ryan Hollins, Hedo Turkoglu, Danny Granger (option), Glen Davis (option)
Cap space: -$8.6 million
Depth Chart
PG: Chris Paul, Darren Collison (option), J.J. Redick
SG: J.J. Redick, Jamal Crawford, Reggie Bullock, Willie Green (non-guaranteed)
SF: Matt Barnes, Danny Granger (option), Jared Dudley, Hedo Turkoglu (UFA)
PF: Blake Griffin, Glen Davis (option)
C: DeAndre Jordan, Ryan Hollins (UFA)
Team Needs
The Clippers will have many needs this summer, but one area they can stop stockpiling talent at is shooting guard. They have more than enough players who can slot in at the two and desperately need to spread out the talent disparity from the backcourt into their frontcourt. Bullock missed a chunk in the middle of the season with an ankle injury and should continue developing behind Redick and Crawford.
Los Angeles' frontcourt is barren, however. Davis' reunion with Doc Rivers wasn't a productive one. He averaged just 13.4 minutes per game and wasn't able to give the Clippers the presence they needed off the bench on offense or defense. Ryan Hollins and Bryon Mullens aren't answers off the bench, either.
They’ll have to turn to free agency to address this problem, however, as it’s unlikely the team can draft a big man ready to contribute to a title contender with the 28th pick.
Targets
If Mitch McGary is available at No. 28 the Clippers could draft a player who saw his draft stock drop after suffering a back injury. He could address a need in their frontcourt and would provide hustle and power down low. If McGary can get healthy and hit the floor, Los Angeles might be able to develop him into a nice addition to their frontcourt group.
They might also be interested in drafting a point guard, especially with Collison testing free agency. The team already has J.J. Redick who can slide down and handle the position, and patching up their frontcourt hole via free agency should be a higher priority.
The Clippers aren’t holding their collective breath leading up to the draft this year around, instead focused on higher-profile issues. The future of their franchise ownership, and finding the right group of players to surround their Paul-led core with, is the Clippers’ focus this summer.
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