Clippers NBA Draft Targets: Ranking top 5 wings to consider
By Tom West
1. Taurean Prince, SF, Baylor
Strong arguments can be made for both Bembry and Prince as to why they’re the rookie wing that the Clippers need to take with the 25th pick. Bembry offers more versatility and talent as a ball handler who can create for others, while Prince finishes this list as a prototypical 3-and-D small forward to well and truly address the wing situation.
With a 6’8″, 220 lbs frame, Prince looks like an NBA three and possesses the kind of well-developed skill set that the Clippers need to look for. In order to make what could be the final title run with this current core count and limited spending money for free agency, they need to find a rookie or two in this draft that can contribute right in a small role right away. That player, perhaps even more than Bembry given his outside shooting stroke, is Prince.
To accompany his excellent lateral speed and wingspan that’s just shy of 7’0″, Prince plays with aggression on defense and is more than capable of guarding twos and threes in the NBA. Plus, as the league continues to goes smaller and small-ball lineups are featured more prominently, his potential to become a stretch four in doses should be feasible at both ends of the floor.
On top of that, his 6.1 rebounds per game indicate how he can provide some much-needed help on the boards.
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He isn’t an elite outside shooter on Caris LeVert’s level, but with a three-point percentage of 36.1 last season with 15.9 points per game, Prince still showed off NBA-level range and efficiency from deep. He also runs well in transition, poses as a strong catch-and-shoot threat, shows some potential in the post, and has improved his ability to create his own shot off the dribble over the end of his college career.
Now, like Bembry, the Clippers have worked out Prince.
Ultimately, Prince may well be gone by this point of the draft. Many experts project him to fall just inside the top 20, which takes him out of the Clippers’ mind and makes the decision to take Bembry far easier (fingers crossed Doc reads this for some reason and agrees).
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Either way, the Clippers land a wing who fills multiple needs, adds depth, and takes strain off older (sorry, Paul Pierce) and inconsistent members of the current perimeter rotation. To consider the purpose of the 33rd pick and the reasoning to select a big man, we’ll have more draft analysis coming soon on possible frontcourt targets.