LA Clippers: Can Brice Johnson, Diamond Stone contribute?

Brice Johnson’s two-way energy

Diamond Stone has been impressing the team so far and Doc is high on his chance to break into the rotation at some point down the line, but he obviously needs work and playing competitively in the NBA will take some adjusting.

That will be the case for any rookie, but 22-year-old Brice Johnson is more prepared than Stone.

Besides the four years of college experience to Stone’s one year, Johnson has the type of game that can help the Clippers earlier on. He has a skill set that thrives off energy. Whether he’s running the floor to break away for a dunk in transition or bounding across the paint for a help block on defense, Johnson’s stellar athleticism and length (at 6’11” with a 7’0″ wingspan) can make an impact right away.

It won’t take experience and teaching to use that length and explosiveness. In time, he’ll just need to add muscle to his slender frame to help his chances of competing inside and on the boards against bigger NBA bodies.

Our Gaia Rhodes was at the LA Clippers’ open practice and scrimmage on Saturday to see how the team is coming along. Rhodes was impressed by Johnson’s smooth mid-range game, another strength he brings to the table, but saw that strength is clearly a weakness:

"Brice Johnson has a great looking shot and seems to be in the right spot all the time. He does, however, need to gain some weight if he’s going to bang with the big boys in the NBA. This was made extremely obvious when Brice foolishly tried to block a Blake Griffin dunk. Blake went right through the rookie and hammered it down so hard it surely would have been the top play on Sports Center."

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Even still, Johnson has a lot to offer. His primary weakness is strength and defending tougher opponents. Plus, Doc has said that Stone already has the better three-point shot. However, with his floor running ability, energy and strong rebounding (14.8 per 40 minutes last season in college), he has clear potential to be an energizer off the bench.

The question is whether the rookies crack the rotation. Johnson seems to have the edge as the Clippers’ top target in the draft with more experience, but the signing of Brandon Bass pushes him further down the depth chart. Johnson will be behind Blake Griffin and Bass at the four, while Stone is behind DeAndre Jordan and Marreese Speights at the five.

Can both the rookies contribute? Yes, just not right away. The promising takeaway from camp is that they’re impressing Doc already and Stone in particular has come along quicker than expected by expanding the range of his jump shot. Arriving as more of a young project, early development helps his case going forward.

As always, though, we need to be patient. They won’t be playing ahead of veterans or earning a much of a role yet.

Next: Key observations from the Clippers' open practice

Doc’s comments that they’ll make the LA Clippers rotation if they prove themselves is what fans want to hear. Some draft success is needed from the team, and they seem to have done well with Johnson and Stone based on everything we’ve seen so far (again, these are the earliest days of their careers). Stone in particular could be a pleasant surprise, and earn a few spot minutes earlier in his young career than we may have expected if he continues this positive trajectory.