Los Angeles Clippers: 15 players who defined Lob City
Small forward. 2015-18. Wesley Johnson. 13. player. 77.
Some players make this list for their glamour plays, their highlight packages, their on-and-off-court antics. Wesley Johnson makes this list because he was there day-in and day-out for 148 games during the final years of “Lob City”. Interestingly enough, he is the only Clipper to have both played with Chris Paul and remain with the team since “Lob City” ended in 2017.
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Johnson came to the Clippers by way of the crosstown Los Angeles Lakers, where he carved out a spot as a rotation wing who could hit outside shots and defend competently.
After a one-year contract, he re-signed in the cap boom of 2016 for another three seasons.
Only eight players appeared in more regular season games during the “Lob City” era than Johnson did, although he only started 12 of them.
Most often, he was the backup small forward behind Luc Mbah a Moute, filling a similar role: catch-and-shoot on offense, guard the faster forward on defense. He is a quintessential 3-and-D player.
Whether due to his limitations as a player or Doc Rivers’ proclivities as a coach, Johnson saw only rare play during the playoffs. While his impact on the team was not exciting, he did prove himself to be a consistently available piece for the Clippers at the position they always struggled the most to fill. 2,476 minutes have to count for something.