Top five offseason goals for the LA Clippers

Jerome Robinson, Angel Delgado become NBA level players

The LA Clippers’ rookie selection hasn’t been anything to write home about in recent history. Prior to this season, their only notable rookie since Blake Griffin was Eric Bledsoe in 2010.

They rewrote the script this season. After the trade deadline, the Clippers boasted four-first year players on their roster. And while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Landry Shamet played large roles in the team’s playoff efforts, Jerome Robinson didn’t make much of a mark and Angel Delgado failed to see any action.

Robinson certainly has more pressure to turn into a quality NBA player than Delgado, considering he was drafted 13th overall and Delgado went undrafted. And while he has more pressure, Robinson is also the more for-sure product of the two. Delgado may never be better than a G League center, but Robinson will (hopefully) be a bench shooter at the very least.

Since these aren’t the Phoenix Suns, it is important that they see their rookies develop in a timely manner. While I do not expect Robinson nor Delgado to be at their maximum potential by next season, I would like to see them make notable improvements.

My hope for Robinson is that he plays more minutes in the NBA than in the G League. This may be difficult if the Clippers lure superstar talent this summer, as Robinson would surely miss out on some playing time. However, it isn’t outrageous to hope for the Boston College product to make an appearance in 60 games next season (for reference, he played in 33 this past season).

Again, since he wasn’t drafted, Delgado’s expectations are much lower than Robinson’s. My goal for Delgado is to prove himself enough to earn minutes in a minimum of 30 games. If he wishes to carve out a career playing professional basketball for himself, he will have to step it up in the coming seasons.