The LA Clippers’ 2019-2020 roster is beginning to take shape
Shooting Guards
The LA Clippers have more than a few two-guards available, but like we said on the last slide, most of them are capable of playing multiple positions and could be listed at multiple spots. The same is true for small forwards as well — the Clippers have an abundance of wings.
Terance Mann
Terance Mann was not a player that I had listed on the LA Clippers’ draft board, but I’m satisfied with the selection. A gritty, hard-working do-it-all kind of player, he’s the exact type of player that this roster is full of, giving the team plenty of options in regards to which rotations he can be played in and which players can be lined up against.
Nicknamed “Stat Stuffer”, Mann does a little bit of everything. In his final season at Florida State University, Mann averaged 11.4 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists across 31.7 minutes per game. Most notably, he shot a career-best 39 percent from three-point range during his senior season, setting him up to be a scrappy three-and-D wing off the bench.
He’ll need some time to develop and probably won’t see a lot of minutes in his rookie season, but he’s a specialist that could see some time if the Clippers need another versatile defender on the floor.
Jerome Robinson
Jerome Robinson didn’t get much of a chance to make an impact with the LA Clippers in his rookie season, and that’s okay. He still tore it up for Agua Caliente, and with a full season of development under his belt, he should be primed to have something of a breakout campaign in 2019-2020.
Robinson is a smart player — he takes high value shots, plays both on and off the ball very well, and is also more than capable of serving as a ball handler if need be. He’s also quick and knows how to play the ball defensively. When he suited up for a career-high 27 minutes against the Indiana Pacers on February 7, Robinson recorded a game-high five steals — something that speaks to his potential on both ends of the floor.
His minutes will probably come and go in the upcoming season, depending on which reserve has the hot hand at the time. But Robinson will surely see a bump in minutes from last season, and he’s sure to make the most of them.
Landry Shamet
The LA Clippers were lucky to get Landry Shamet out of the Tobias Harris trade. The sweet-shooting guard has serious potential, and could end up being one of the elite shooters in the NBA sooner rather than later — if he’s not already.
Shamet connected on 45 percent of his six attempts from three-point range per game during his first stint in Los Angeles, getting better as his time with the team went on. If you’re looking for highlights, we’ve got two.
Shamet’s highest-scoring game as a Clipper came on March 3, when LA hosted the New York Knicks. The 22-year-old scored 21 points — all of which came from three-point range. He finished the game shooting 7-of-11 from deep, one off his career-high for three-point makes in a game.
If the Clippers do end up landing Kawhi Leonard and continue to start Patrick Beverley, Shamet will come off the bench next season — and could be a lethal pairing with the next guard on the list.
Lou Willams
Lou Williams, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year and three-time winner, is fresh off one of the best seasons of his NBA career, and he’s showing no signs of slowing down.
This past season, he finished the year as the LA Clippers’ scoring leader, pouring in 20 points per game. Williams also upped his game as a playmaker, averaging a career-high 5.4 assists in just 26.6 minutes per game. His efficiency was off the charts in 2018-2019.
He and the Clippers have loads of mutual respect, which was made especially clear on Tuesday, when LA opted to fully guarantee his salary ahead of schedule for the 2020-2021 season, bringing his number up from $1.5 million to $8.
Williams should continue to flourish with the Clippers next season, and could potentially be on his way to earning an all-time high fourth Sixth Man of the Year award.