The Los Angeles Clippers announce they’ve assigned shooting guard C.J. Wilcox to the D-League; he’ll be a member of the Canton Charge in stint no.2.
It looks like C.J. Wilcox, rotation player, won’t be a thing anytime soon in Clippers land as mid-day Wednesday, the franchise announced they’ve assigned the shooting guard to the Canton Charge, 1-to-1 affiliate of the Cleveland Cavaliers, via the flexible assignment system.
C.J. Wilcox assigned to Canton of Development League.
— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) December 16, 2015
As of today, the Charge — home to notables in Quinn Cook, former Duke point guard, D.J. Stephens, former University of Memphis wing and dunk extraordinaire, and Cavaliers guard Joe Harris — are 3-8, the second worst overall record in the D-League, only ahead of the 1-8 Oklahoma City Blue.
In Wilcox’s previous stint in the D-League, with the Bakersfield Jam, the second-year shooting guard averaged 19.57 points on 50% shooting (40% from three), 4.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in seven games, showing off his ability to score the ball via the jump shot, whether spot-up or from a off-ball screen.
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When it comes to C.J. finally breaking into the Clippers’ rotation, it seems more and more unlikely by the minute. Barring a trade that frees up space in the wings, the Clippers are loaded, relying on J.J. Redick, Luc Mbah a Moute, Wesley Johnson, Jamal Crawford, Austin Rivers, and Lance Stephenson to provide minutes at the shooting guard and small forward spot. And while Wilcox could likely step onto the floor at any given moment and be an average-to-good three-point shooter, the other options beat out the second year guard in reliability.
Beyond the 2015-16 season, the space for minutes could open up in Doc Rivers‘ rotation (it feels like a requirement to mention that Rivers may be fired after the season, so always keep that in mind). Of the players named above, all but Redick has the option of becoming a free agent this summer: Stephenson via team option; Mbah a Moute, Johnson, Crawford via unrestricted free agency; Rivers via player option.
Speaking of Doc Rivers, an unknown storyline all discussions involving the head coach / team president is him failure to develop young talent and mismanagement of draft picks. It’s easy to argue which player the Clippers should’ve chosen in 2013 when they selected Reggie Bullock (Rudy Gobert? Andre Roberson? Archie Goodwin? Allen Crabbe? etc.) and 2014 with Wilcox (Kyle Anderson? K.J. McDaniels? Nikola Jokic? Jordan Clarkson? etc.) but it goes beyond that.
They drafted players who played positions the team had depth at (both Wilcox and Bullock are shooting guards) and never put in the effort to develop them (Bullock was traded in the Rivers deal, Wilcox TBA) outside of spot minutes in the D-League.
Hopefully Wilcox ends up different. With J.J. Redick experiencing issues with his back, the Clippers need a low-priced player who can replicate some of what J.J. pulls off in the half court. The odds of Wilcox ever being as good as Redick are low but the talent to replicate those acts are there. Not to mention Wilcox panning out would save Rivers the troubles of flopping on another free agent signing.
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Unlike Wilcox’s previous stint, its unclear how this D-League stint will last.
Earlier this month, the Clippers assigned rookie Branden Dawson to the Grand Rapids Drive, 1-to-1 affiliate to the Detroit Pistons.