This past offseason has been nothing short of eventful. Fifth-overall pick Keaton Wagler joins, Kawhi Leonard is scheduled to depart, and there has been almost no effort to fix the LA Clippers’ biggest issue since the Ivica Zubac trade: rebounding.Â
It was evident over the second half of the season that Brook Lopez cannot be the top rebounder on a team. Honestly, he never really could be, and on the best teams he’s been on over his career, he has not needed to. But with the only centers currently on the roster being him and Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Nick Richards seems to be one of the only options left to fill this need.
While Niederhauser showed flashes throughout the season, Richards has had a solid floor throughout his six years in the NBA. For his career, he averages just under six rebounds and about five points per game. He spent last season on the Phoenix Suns before being dealt to the Chicago Bulls in February, where he was productive.
Nick Richards could be the perfect bridge between youth and veteran bigs
With Nick Richards set to turn 29 in November, he would give the LA Clippers another experienced, low-floor option in the middle. He offers an alternative near-the-rim playstyle compared to Brook Lopez's perimeter-centric focus, although he will never have stats that jump off the stat sheet.
While all signs point to the Clippers starting a rebuild, the retentions of Lopez and Kris Dunn, along with the acquisition of Rui Hachimura, offer some sense of competitive hope. However, the structure of this team is shifting toward younger players, a trend not seen since the 2018-2019 season.
Eventual two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander headlined that season in his rookie year. The team would go on to exceed expectations and sneak into the playoffs in a year where few expected them to. The similarities from that season to this upcoming season are apparent.
Kris Dunn leads these similarities as this season’s Patrick Beverly, Benedict Mathurin as Lou Williams, and a mix of Rui Hachimura and Derrick Jones Jr. as Tobias Harris. Combine that with a breakout from either one of summer league standout Baba Miller or buy-low candidate Johni Broome, paired with rookie guard Keaton Wagler, and this team can surprise a lot of people.
The forgotten piece of this puzzle is Tyronn Lue. Lue has been one of the most consistent coaches over the last six seasons. Since arriving in LA for the 2020-2021 season, Lue has never gone under .500 and has never won fewer than 42 games. In those years, he has never missed the postseason, qualifying for the play-in twice and the playoffs four times.
Add us as a preferred source on Google