Clippers’ Summer League Point Guards:
Player to Watch: Jawun Evans
With Chris Paul in Houston, the Clippers may have the point guard of their future in Jawun Evans.Evans was at one point projected to go in the first round but the Clippers managed to snag him at 39th with the pick they purchased for the Sixers. The sophomore averaged 19.2 points, 6.4 assists, and 1.8 steals while leading Oklahoma State to the NCAA Tournament in his sophomore season while drawing comparisons to Paul leading up to the draft.
Behind the reasoning for that comparison is that Evans, like Paul, is an undersized guard at around 6’0 and also lead one of most efficient offenses in college basketball last year at OK State. Since Evans is a smaller player, there are concerns surrounding his finishing ability and defense but the guard has a ton of upside with his ability to create shots for his teammates.
David Michineau
Michineau is one of three returners from the Clipper’s 2016 Summer League and was drafted with the 39th in the 2016 NBA Draft as a draft-and-stash prospect. The point guard averaged 8.2 points and 4.2 assists for the Clipper’s Summer League Team but struggled with his shooting (28 percent). With his rights retained by the Clippers, Michineau returned to France to play for Hyeres-Toulon in the French LNB Pro A League. In 34 games with Hyeres-Toulon, he averaged 9.8 points and 2.9 assists but still struggled from the floor, only shooting 39 percent. Michineau is a long shot to make the Clipper’s regular season roster but might surprise and earn a roster spot with outstanding Summer League play.
Kendall Marshall
Marshall declared for the 2012 NBA Draft after this sophomore season at UNC ad was drafted with the 13th pick by the Phoenix Suns. The point guard didn’t finish the season with Phoenix, traded to the Wizards and subsequently waived. Marshall then played for the Delaware 87ers and Los Angeles Lakers in the 2013-2014 season but was ultimately waived by the Lakers. He was then acquired by the Milwaukee Bucks for the 2014-2015 season but torn his ACL and missed the remainder of the season. Marshall spent the 2015-2016 rehabbing from the injury with the 87ers and ended up appearing in some games for the Sixers.
Last season he was traded to the Jazz and immediately waived and spent the season playing for the Reno Bighorns. Marshall’s career averages in the NBA are 5.0 points, 4.9 assists, and 1.8 rebounds per game with a 40 percent shooting average from the floor and 37 percent average from three. The Clippers only have two true point guards on the roster in Beverley and the newly signed Milos Teodosic, which could make Marshall an appealing third point guard on a small minimum deal. Even if the Clippers do not choose to bring him onto the regular season roster, Marshall could be a valuable addition to the Agua Caliente Clippers.
Luke Nelson
Once a teammate of Austin River’s brother, SpencerRivers, at UC Irvine, Nelson went undrafted in the 2017 NBA Draft after participation in pre-draft workouts with the Clippers, Lakers, and Magic. The London-born guard averaged 16.9 points per game during his senior year at UC Irvine while shooting 45.7 percent from the floor and 43.2 percent from three on his way to winning the 2017 Big West Conference Player of the Year Award. Nelson’s chances of making the Clipper’s regular season roster are small, but the point guard could be in the running for a spot on the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario.