What’s in store for the rookies?
Diamond stone and Brice Johnson will be working towards earning some playing time next season. The latter has a better chance to crack the end of the rotation (in due course) as the LA Clippers’ top target in the draft and the more experienced player (four years of college to Stone’s one), but both will have their work cut out for them.
Following Blake Griffin and Brandon Bass for Johnson and DeAndre Jordan and Marreese Speights for Stone, there’s plenty of frontcourt competition.
Yet, if there’s a time for Doc to give his young guys a chance to play and put them in a competitive scenario to see what they can offer him right away, now is the time. Why not begin with the preseason opener and test them against the Warriors? They’ll be upping the playing time of their bench and rookie wing Patrick McCaw, too.
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The preseason is an opportunity for Doc to give his rookie bigs some minutes before the regular season comes and they fall off the rotation, being glued to the bench most nights or possibly heading to the NBA D-League for Stone.
Now is the time to see what kind of impact Johnson can have as an energizer with his athleticism and floor running ability. To see if he can hit his mid-range jumpers under pressure.
For the raw, 19-year-old Stone, it’s a chance to see how he handles competitive basketball against tough competition, and whether he can continue to build upon his Summer League and training camp showing. Doc has praised Stone’s three-point shot, so what kind of form and efficiency we see if he gets a chance to take a couple of jumpers is something else to look for.
Preseason is an early chance to catch a glimpse of the rookies and assess how they’re acclimatizing to their time with the LA Clippers. They should get solid playing time while the regular season opener approaches on October 28.