On the one-year anniversary of the day they entered the NBA, we look back and evaluate how the LA Clippers’ rookies stack up against their draft position.
It feels like it was only yesterday that the LA Clippers acquired Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson in the 2018 NBA Draft, yet it’s nearly been a year since the two made their way into the NBA and onto the team. A lot would change from then until now — not only would they both grow and mature, but they would be joined by another prominent rookie a little over halfway through their first season.
It’s easy for us to forget since the Clippers didn’t draft him, but Landry Shamet came out of last year’s draft class, too. The Philadelphia 76ers took him with the 26th overall pick, where he would play 54 games before eventually being sent to Los Angeles as part of the Tobias Harris trade.
Each rookie made a significant contribution for the Clippers this past season — some more than others, yes, but each very clearly has a bright future and the potential to play a big role for the team moving forward.
Robinson didn’t get much of a chance to prove what he’s capable of in his rookie season. He showed out in the G League, but with more capable guards like Patrick Beverley and Lou Williams ahead of him on the depth chart, there simply weren’t enough minutes to go around.
Shamet, on the other hand, jumped right into the Clippers’ starting rotation two games after joining the team. He looked the part of an elite three-point shooter, connecting on 45 percent of his 6.0 attempts from range per contest.
But it was Gilgeous-Alexander who made the biggest splash of all, appearing in all 82 games in starting in 73 of them. He was especially potent after the All-Star break, averaging 12.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists over the final 23 games of the regular season. Keep in mind he did that on a Doc Rivers-coached team, who is notorious for not playing rookies.
Together, Gilgeous-Alexander and Shamet played beautiful basketball, and both deservedly wound up on the All-Rookie Second Team. You could argue that Gilgeous-Alexander deserved a spot on the first team, but it’s hard to complain when the Clippers haven’t had a rookie as good as him since they selected Blake Griffin a decade ago.
Because of that, it seems clear that Gilgeous-Alexander outplayed his draft position. He was taken with the 11th overall pick behind other point guards Trae Young (5th overall) and Collin Sexton (8th overall), but the argument could easily be made that Gilgeous-Alexander is the sixth-best player from last year’s draft class.
Robinson’s move is the opposite. Rather than going up like his backcourt buddy, he probably didn’t show enough last season to warrant a lottery selection.
It’s hard to judge it exactly. Robinson has plenty of potential and could end up being a very successful NBA player, but he was never given the chance to shine with the Clippers. In part, that was probably the plan — Robinson’s long-term potential is higher than his short-term, and instead of rushing him onto the court, he got to benefit all year long from development and major minutes in the G League. A first round selection seems right, but no higher than No. 20.
That only leaves Shamet, who we already mentioned was drafted 26th overall yet ended up on the All-Rookie Second Team. Any guesses as to what the verdict is here?
Shamet finished the season with the 10th-most points among rookies and the highest three-point percentage among draftees that had played at least 100 minutes. He was incredibly efficient, took smart shots and flashed the potential to become a Klay Thompson-type of shooter before too long.
The LA Clippers don’t have any first round picks in this year’s draft, but with a talented rookie trio, the team appears to be set up well for the foreseeable future.