LA Clippers: 3 potential prospects in the late first round of the NBA Draft

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GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA – MARCH 11: Day’Ron Sharpe #11 of the North Carolina Tar Heels drives to the basket on Cordell Pemsl #35 of the Virginia Tech Hokies during the first half of their quarterfinals game in the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum on March 11, 2021 in Greensboro, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images) /

3. LA Clippers NBA Draft Prospect: Day’Ron Sharpe, Center, North Carolina

The last prospect is someone that fills a hole the Clippers have – the center position. Now, I know that the team has Daniel Oturu but Sharpe may offer a little bit more upside, and late in the first round could be worth taking a flier on. His stats last season:

9.5 points per game
51.9 FG%
7.6 rebounds
1.3 assists
0.8 steals
0.9 blocks

Now unlike the first two players, you’ll note that I did not include a three-point percentage in his stats. There’s a simple reason for that. Sharpe is a traditional big man. He only attempted two threes in 29 games and didn’t convert on either.

There’s no hope for shooting, either. Sharpe shot just 50.5% from the free throw line in 29 games. That’s, well, not great.

The upside with Sharpe though is that he would be another big body that the Clippers could potentially work with. He’s a skilled passer for his size, evidenced by his 1.3 assists. We know that the Clippers have the ability to play traditional bigs successfully (Ivica Zubac) so Sharpe could eventually find a role.

You can see Sharpe’s vision in the first few highlights in the above video – something that will translate well to the NBA. Sure, it’s hard for traditional big men to find their footing in the fast-paced league of today but it’s not impossible. In the late first round, the Clippers could do a lot worse than Sharpe.

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Do any of these prospects look like they’ll help the Clippers in the long term or are there other players you would rather consider? Let us know what you think on Twitter and keep checking back here as we finish the season out and start looking at the future.