Three things to look for in LA Clippers’ first preseason matchup
New Additions
The LA Clippers made quite the splash this summer, even outside of adding Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. In addition to them, LA also managed to bring in Amir Coffey, Maurice Harkless, Mfiondu Kabengele, Terance Mann, Rodney McGruder and Patrick Patterson. Each of those players should get a chance to show their skills against Houston.
Coffey went undrafted this summer but looked impressive on the Clippers’ Summer League squad. Eventually, he earned a two-way contract from the team, meaning he’ll spend some time with both the NBA’s Clippers and the G League’s Agua Caliente Clippers during the regular season.
Of all the new additions to the roster, Coffey will likely get the fewest amount of minutes. That being said, he’s a talented player with excellent size. At 6 feet 8 inches, Coffey is definitely on the taller end for a guard. He’s a solid scorer and playmaker, but he’ll need some more time before he can make significant contributions at an NBA level.
Next up is Harkless, who we’ve already talked a bit about. In short, his two-way play will make him a valuable asset in load management situations and off the bench. Assuming he can get his three-point shot back under control, he could wind up being more important to this team than we initially anticipated.
Expect to see him hound Houston’s wings tonight, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he racked up a few blocks and steals as well.
Kabengele, like Coffey, is another player that likely won’t see a huge amount of minutes in his rookie season. He’s got loads of potential as a stretch big, but with the amount of depth on this team, it’s hard to pick out a spot where he’d see consistent playing time.
Preseason should be different, and while he likely won’t be as involved as he was during Summer League, it would make sense to see 10-15 minutes of action from Kabengele. When he’s on the floor, look for him to find some consistency from three-point range and protect the rim.
Mann has been one of the biggest surprises of the summer. Despite being selected 48th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft, Mann played excellent basketball in Summer League and has reportedly been running point with the second unit in training camp.
Mann should stick with that role for LA’s first preseason outing, and he’ll be one of the most important players to keep an eye on. If he looks comfortable running the offense, we could be seeing a lot of him this year. Maybe not at the beginning of the season, but surely by the end.
McGruder is another player that we’ve previously discussed, so we’ll give you the brief here.
Technically, he’s the least “new” of all the players listed here. McGruder joined the Clippers near the end of last season, but he was unable to play with the team in the postseason as LA claimed him off waivers after the eligibility deadline.
He’s scrappy, nicknamed “The Scavenger” and can defend multiple positions on defense. Need we say more?
Lastly is Patterson, who is looking to have something of a bounceback year in LA. He shot a career-low 33.6 percent from three-point range (min. 1.9 attempts per game) last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
He’s best used as a backup big, and he’s capable of playing either power forward or center. He’s got five years of postseason experience, so assuming he makes it that far with the team, he could be an important asset to have.