Mfiondu Kabengele, Terance Mann shine in LA Clippers’ win over Lakers
Florida State products Mfiondu Kabengele and Terance Mann made their Summer League debut on Saturday, shining in the LA Clippers’ win.
It’s far too early to make any sort of prediction about how Mfiondu Kabengele and Terance Mann are going to fit in with the LA Clippers this season, but if their Summer League debut was any indication of what’s too come, then fans have plenty to be excited about.
The Clippers kicked off their Summer League action on Saturday night, fittingly against the Los Angeles Lakers. After leading by as many as 22 points, the Clippers crumbled down the stretch but hung on for a 93-87 victory to improve to 1-0 in Summer League play. The Lakers never had a lead in the game.
LA was led by the efforts of Kabengele and Mann, each of whom showed exactly why the Clippers took a chance on them in the 2019 NBA Draft.
Kabengele finished the night as the only player on either team to record a double-double, scoring 21 points and hauling in 10 rebounds. Six of those boards came off the offensive glass as well, which highlighted Kabengele’s ability to score quick and easy putback buckets. He made 7-of-14 shots overall, shot 6-of-8 from the free throw line and connected on 1-of-4 three-point attempts. He finished the night with a game-high plus/minus rating of +13.
Kabengele was active on defense as well, recording a block in his Summer League debut. It felt like he had more than that though, as he was involved in a few deflections and altered plenty more looks at and around the rim.
Mann was equally great, putting together a line that most closely resembles the one that Patrick Beverley seems to record each night. In 25 minutes of action, he recorded five points, nine rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block while shooting 50.0 percent from the floor and 50.0 from three-point range.
Right from the jump, the 22-year-old rookie was all over the place on the floor. Within the first few possessions, he was involved in helping a teammate get an easy bucket, he recorded a steal by jumping into a passing lane, and scored at the rim to put the Clippers up 9-2 in the early goings.
Both Kabengele and Mann will be looking to earn a spot on the Clippers roster this season, and if they continue to play the way they did in their first big league action, those spots are theirs to lose.
Two-way signee Amir Coffey was big for the Clippers as well, recording 17 points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal in 28 minutes of play. Coffey also splashed home three of his five attempts from deep, which is especially impressive considering he made just over 30 percent of those same looks in his final year of college ball.
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Kabengele, Mann and the rest of the LA Clippers roster will get a chance to continue their winning ways on Sunday night, when they play the Memphis Grizzlies in game two of Summer League action.