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Five second-round prospects the LA Clippers could add in the 2019 Draft

By Garrett Chorpenning

COLUMBIA, SC - MARCH 24: Aubrey Dawkins #15 of the UCF Knights reacts to the action against the Duke Blue Devils in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at Colonial Life Arena on March 24, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
COLUMBIA, SC - MARCH 24: Aubrey Dawkins #15 of the UCF Knights reacts to the action against the Duke Blue Devils in the second round of the 2019 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at Colonial Life Arena on March 24, 2019 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 13: Shamorie Ponds #2 of the St. John’s Red Storm celebrates the play against the DePaul Blue Demons during the first round of the 2019 Big East men’s basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 13, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 13: Shamorie Ponds #2 of the St. John’s Red Storm celebrates the play against the DePaul Blue Demons during the first round of the 2019 Big East men’s basketball tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 13, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /

Shamorie Ponds, PG, St. John’s

2018-2019 statistics: 19.7 PTS, 4.1 REB, 5.1 AST

The last player on this list may be a bit of a head-scratcher to some fans, since the LA Clippers are already loaded to the brim with guards. However, the team has reportedly already visited Ponds, and he may be difficult to pass on if he’s still available late in the second round.

Ponds was an elite point guard in college, averaging nearly 20 points per game over his three-year career. He also ranks quite high on a lot of NBA Draft big boards, and as high as 29th on Tankathon’s.

He’s got all the pieces to become a solid point guard at the NBA level, too. It’s just a matter of whether he’ll be able to put it all together at the next level or not.

Most scouts say yes, which is why Ponds’ draft stock is so hard to judge right now. Depending on how he fares at the upcoming Draft Combine, he could end up going anywhere from the late-first to late-second by the time draft night rolls around.

If he’s still there late, it makes sense for the Clippers to pounce. Ponds could be a serviceable point with the second unit, which is an area where they struggled to find a lot of consistency this past season. Lou Williams typically ended up running the offense, and when Tyrone Wallace was part of the rotation, he didn’t have a lot of success in the backcourt.

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The LA Clippers may not have a shot to take Ponds at all, but assuming he slides, he could end up being one of the biggest steals from this class.

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