The Clippers just played their last game of the season, and it’s looking like there are three Clippers who just played their last Clippers game of their careers.
The Clips had one of the deepest rosters in the NBA this year, so it’s no slight to any of these guys that they’ll have a tough time sticking around this team.
There are seven Clipper free agents this offseason, so it’s tough to be a priority for the Clippers this summer.
No. 1 player who played his last game as a Clipper: Patrick Patterson
Patrick Patterson didn’t play a single postseason minute for the Clippers this year.
Keep in mind that this happened in a year where multiple Clipper big men had to miss time in the playoffs, in Serge Ibaka and Ivica Zubac.
As a power forward, the Clippers need someone who can rebound, as they were in the bottom half of the league in rebounds per game this year (44.2).
Patterson simply can’t get the job done on the rebounding end, as he averaged just two rebounds per game in the 2020-2021 season. Putting him in the games would put a bit of a liability on the court.
He’s never been a very good rebounder. He’s averaged 3.9 per game in his 11-year career.
He’s shot at a nice .369 clip from three-point land in his career (and .357 this year), but that’s not hard to find from a power forward in today’s NBA.
The other Clipper big men are going to be getting healthier this offseason, and Patterson’s 32 years old. I don’t see much of a drive to keep him here.