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Former LA Clippers big Willie Reed selected with the first pick in the G-League Draft

By Garrett Chorpenning

LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 13: LA Clippers center Willie Reed (35) dunks the ball during the NBA regular season game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, Nov. 13, 2017 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - NOVEMBER 13: LA Clippers center Willie Reed (35) dunks the ball during the NBA regular season game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday, Nov. 13, 2017 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif. (Photo by Ric Tapia/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Former LA Clippers big man Willie Reed has been selected with the first overall pick in the 2018 G-League Draft by the Salt Lake City Stars.

Former LA Clippers big Willie Reed, who played with the team during the 2017-2018 NBA season, was selected with the first overall pick by the Salt Lake City Stars in the 2018 NBA G-League Draft on Saturday.

Reed, 28, played in 39 games for the LA Clippers last season before he was traded to the Detroit Pistons as part of the Blake Griffin trade. Reed served as the primary backup to DeAndre Jordan, averaging 4.9 points, 3,1 rebounds, and 0.6 blocks in roughly 11 minutes per game.

In early February, Reed was traded from Detroit to the Chicago Bulls for Jameer Nelson, after which he was immediately waived by the Bulls.

Reed’s best game with the LA Clippers came in mid-January against the Sacramento Kings, when Jordan was sitting with an ankle injury. In 26 minutes, Reed recorded 14 points and 13 rebounds in a 21-point victory.

Before the beginning of the 2017 campaign, Reed had hopes of being named the NBA’s Most Improved Player. Unfortunately, he never got the minutes necessary to keep him in the mix.

In Salt Lake City, Reed should get plenty of minutes as the Stars’ top option. There’s also a clear path for Reed to be called up to the Utah Jazz in due time. Outside of Rudy Gobert and Derrick Favors, there aren’t a lot of quality bigs on Utah’s roster.

Former Clipper Diamond Stone is also a member of Utah’s G-League affiliate.

The Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario were also active in the G-League Draft’s first round, selecting Baylor point guard Manu Lecomte with the 20th overall pick.

Standing 5’11”, Lecomte was a phenomenal three-point shooter at the college level. The Belgian guard shot well over 45 percent from beyond the arc in his sophomore season on 3.0 attempts per game, and 38 percent from the same range as a senior on 7.2 attempts per game. Lecomte is also a capable shooter from the free throw line, connecting on 89 percent of his attempts during the 2017-2018 season.

Lecomte still needs to work on his playmaking ability, though. He averaged just 3.7 assists to 2.2 turnovers in his final season at Baylor, separating himself as more of a shooter than a true point guard.

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Regardless, the 23-year-old should help buff out the Agua Caliente roster this season as they look to improve upon their 23-27 record under new head coach Brian Adams.