Takeaways from the LA Clippers’ Summer League loss vs Grizzlies

One night after defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in their Summer League opener, the LA Clippers fell to the Memphis Grizzlies, 87-75.

The LA Clippers came into Sunday night’s game fresh off a 93-87 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers, but failed to produce at the same level against the Memphis Grizzlies, taking their first Summer League loss by a final score of 87-75.

Unlike Saturday night’s performance, when the Clippers jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the early goings, LA had a very difficult time scoring — especially in the first quarter. Memphis started the game up 11-0, and the Clippers finished the first frame down 19-8.

From there, the game was a little more even. The Clippers outscored the Grizzlies by 10 in the second quarter to make it a one-point game at the half, and it looked like LA was on their way to another win.

Unfortunately, the Clippers scored just 38 points in the second half — one more than they scored in the first — while the Grizzlies offense managed 49.

Memphis was led by the efforts of Brandon Clarke, the 21st overall pick in this year’s draft, who recorded 17 points, four rebounds and two blocks in 17 minutes of action. Yuta Watanabe chipped in another 12 points and seven rebounds as well.

As for the Clippers, here are three takeaways from what I saw in last night’s performance.

#1: Terance Mann continues to look like an NBA player

It’s still Summer League, and it’s far too early to make any sort of real prediction regarding Terance Mann‘s short-term future. But based on the first two games he’s played, he looks very much like an NBA-caliber player, and one who fits perfectly with the LA Clippers’ identity.

Mann does a little bit of everything on the court — he’s an excellent rebounder, an above-average passer at his position, he plays strong and active defense, he runs the floor well, and he takes very smart shots. All of that was on display last night, when he recorded six points, 14 rebounds, four assists and a steal in 27 minutes.

Now that the Clippers have waived both Sindarius Thornwell and Tyrone Wallace, it’s looking more and more like Mann could be in play for either of their spots on the roster. Don’t be surprised if he cracks into the team’s rotation, either. Given his two-way versatility, he’s exactly the kind of guy that the franchise has become fond of playing over the last few seasons.

#2: Mfiondu Kabengele was born to score

Perhaps the most obvious takeaway from the LA Clippers’ first two Summer League games is that Mfiondu Kabengele is a score-first forward. He’s averaged 20.0 points per contest thus far, on 15.0 attempts per game. He’s been efficient, too, shooting 50 percent overall from the field and 50 percent from three-point range.

Kabengele appears to be a strong rebounder as well — he’s grabbing an average of 7.5 per game. He doesn’t look the most NBA ready of the group, though, and he’d probably do well to get some G League action so he can continue to hone his jumper and become a more versatile player on both ends of the floor.

That isn’t a knock on him, either. His numbers certainly jump out from the group, at least in terms of scoring, but his skillset makes him a much more raw player than some the others on the team. With proper development, he could have a very high ceiling — he just needs some time to reach it, and that’s something that the Clippers knew when they drafted him.

#3: Jerome Robinson is still finding his rhythm

Fans were disappointed that they didn’t see more out of Jerome Robinson last season, but I’ve always felt that criticism was a tad misplaced. He wasn’t supposed to jump into the rotation and play right away — he was drafted more for his long-term fit on the roster, and now that he’s gotten some time to develop, he’s primed to have a strong season in 2019-2020.

So far in Summer League, Robinson hasn’t looked completely like himself. But given reports that he’s feeling a little under the weather, that’s understandable. He looked a little more off in Sunday night’s performance than he did on Saturday, but even still, he was able to pour in 15 points.

Robinson shot a mere 5-of-15 on Sunday, though, and his efficiency is something he’ll need to continue to work on in order to play a sizable role with next season’s squad. I wouldn’t put too much stock into a Summer League game when he’s feeling sick, but even in limited minutes last season, Robinson’s shooting percentage was always a touch lower than anticipated.

The LA Clippers won’t suit up again until Tuesday night, when they take on the Washington Wizards. With a few more games of practice, we’ll start to see how well each of these players and the rest of the roster can adjust properly.