The LA Clippers could have a hole at center after this offseason. Here are five players they should target.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 The LA Clippers were knocked out of the playoffs a bit early this year, losing in Game 7 to
00:04 Devin Nuggets with a 3-1 lead.
00:07 One of the main reasons for that was LA's lack of depth at the center position.
00:10 Evita Zubac did his best to defend Nicole Jokic and fared mostly okay, but Montrezl
00:15 Harrell struggled to keep him contained.
00:17 On top of that, Harrell had trouble producing on offense outside of the pick and roll.
00:21 He'll become a free agent this offseason, and it's hard to say how likely it is he
00:24 re-signs with the franchise.
00:26 On top of that, Marcus Morris, Jermichael Green, and Patrick Patterson could all test
00:30 the market as well, which would leave the team with sizable holes at the 4-5.
00:34 In the event that happens, the teams might want to have a few bigs in mind that could
00:38 help move the needle as much to contend for a title next season as well.
00:41 Here are a few players that could be a good fit, beginning with Aaron Baines.
00:44 He's probably best known by Clippers fans for being the victim of a few Blake Griffin
00:47 posters in 2015, but the 33-year-old has vastly improved his game since then.
00:52 Baines has tracked a career year with the Phoenix Suns, posting averages of 11.5 points,
00:58 5.6 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in about 22 minutes per game.
01:02 Additionally, Baines made a career high 35% of his 43-point attempts per game this year,
01:08 which is a really great number for someone of his size.
01:10 He's a solid rebounder and a big enough body to be able to play against the league's
01:14 more physical centers like Jokic, but he's nowhere near as good a defender as Zubac,
01:18 which makes him a bit of a liability on that end.
01:20 As a backup, though, he's one of the best options available, especially for the price.
01:25 Moving on, we're looking at Serge Ibaka.
01:26 Even though he's not the shot blocker and defender that he used to be, though he's
01:30 still efficient on that end of the floor, Serge Ibaka has more than made up for it with
01:34 his defense.
01:36 His 39% clear from the three-point range this season is among the best of his career, and
01:40 it was good enough for him to rank in the 83rd percentile among bigs, perkling the glass.
01:45 He's still a terrific mid-range shooter as well, ranking in the 77th percentile there.
01:49 One of the most important factors bringing him to LA, though, could be his relationship
01:52 with Kawhi Leonard.
01:54 The two won a championship together with the Toronto Raptors last season, and when Ibaka
01:57 was asked about their friendship in March, he said Leonard was still his guy.
02:01 Given the chemistry concerns the Clippers reportedly have right now, adding someone
02:05 like Ibaka might not be such a bad idea.
02:08 Moving on, looking at New Orleans' Noel.
02:10 If defense with the Clippers are making a priority off the bench at that position, they
02:15 should look no further than New Orleans' Noel.
02:16 The 26-year-old just finished up an impressive campaign with the Oklahoma City Thunder this
02:20 season, and he's not so much to be overlooked in free agency.
02:24 Relative to his position, Noel ranks in the 98th percentile in steel percentage and 94th
02:28 in block percentage, perkling the glass.
02:30 While he's only an average rebounder, he's proven capable of getting them on both ends
02:34 of the floor and extending possessions.
02:36 Noel doesn't provide much on the offensive side of sworn into paint, but fortunately
02:39 he is a fantastic finisher.
02:42 On the year, he made close to 85% of his attempts at the rim and made 68% of his field goal
02:46 attempts overall.
02:48 For a backup big, it's hard to find someone as efficient on both ends of the floor as
02:52 Noel.
02:53 Next, we're looking at Jakub Pertl.
02:55 He's both the youngest and tallest player on our list, coming in at 24 years old and
02:58 7 feet tall.
02:59 He could command a larger salary the Clippers are willing to pay because of that, but that
03:04 said, the former top 10 pick is still worth a look.
03:08 Like Noel, Pertl is a strong defender and more traditional big, where he really excels
03:12 those on the offensive glass.
03:14 A little over a third of Pertl's 5 points of rebounds per game this season were offensive,
03:19 which makes him a great option to play in lineups full of perimeter shooters.
03:22 Not only can he extend possessions, but he's good at finding the open man as well.
03:26 On offense, Pertl takes a majority of his shots at the rim, but that doesn't mean he
03:31 can't set out and take a jumper every now and then.
03:33 You won't see him shooting three-pointers, but he can set out to the paint and hit from
03:36 the midrange when need be.
03:38 It may be hard to drop Pertl away from the San Antonio Spurs, but the prospect of winning
03:44 an NBA title can strengthen any team's argument to yank someone away from a franchise.
03:49 The last player on our list is Tristan Thompson.
03:51 He's easily the best player on our list, and one of the most obvious free agent fits of
03:55 this Clippers team.
03:56 The 29-year-old big has never hauled in less than 6.5 boards per game, and plenty of them
04:01 come on the offensive end of the floor.
04:03 It doesn't add much as a scorer, and he's never been the most efficient big once he
04:06 gets inside the paint, but Thompson has seriously upped his passing game in the last few years.
04:11 His 2.1 assists per game in 2020 are a career high.
04:14 He likely would have had a lot more than that had he been surrounded by better shooters
04:17 than he had in Cleveland.
04:19 With options like Landry Shamit and Lou Williams coming off the bench for LA, Thompson can
04:23 help create some easy scrying opportunities in the second inning without being too ball
04:26 dominant himself.
04:27 In a 65 playoff start under his belt, Thompson is more than capable of stepping into this
04:31 tournament lineup as well, something that can come in handy if Zubats finds himself
04:35 in foul trouble or a difficult matchup.
04:38 Thompson and the Cavs seem primed to break up this offseason, and a steal with LA just
04:42 makes too much sense.