Although most franchises do not get the luxury of witnessing and employing a player who played for head coach John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats, the LA Clippers had one season of pure enjoyment with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He entered the NBA as a promising star, and with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he further proved the theory that most Wildcats guards do not fail in the NBA.
This does not mean that every guard Calipari has coached will become a superstar like Gilgeous-Alexander, but a contributing role player is the ideal bare minimum. The examples around the league are endless and will continue to be through the latest 2025 draft class, which consisted of talents like Koby Brea.
However, one guard who was a one-and-done product of Kentucky’s prestigious basketball program, but has not yet panned out in the NBA, is TyTy Washington Jr. He started his career in H-Town with the Houston Rockets, where he underperformed, then spent the next two seasons on the rosters of the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns.
Lawrence Frank and the Clippers’ front office noticed growth in the game of Washington Jr. and signed him to a low-risk, Exhibit 10 contract. This ultimately means the contract he is on with LA is non-guaranteed, for one season.
Washington Jr. may take a second, but at some point during the year, he will receive minutes from Tyronn Lue, where he can impress with his scoring, specifically the unstoppable floater he has developed, and playmaking as a young point guard.
The LA Clippers have a gem in TyTy Washington Jr. that will shock the league next season
Last season, TyTy Washington Jr. was in The Valley, learning and picking the brains of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. He joins Beal on the LA Clippers to soak in additional tips and tricks, but now he has the assistance of Chris Paul, James Harden, and Kawhi Leonard.
Towards the end of games is where Tyronn Lue will begin to play Washington Jr., and once he inevitably shows out, the coaching staff will be advised through the film to increase his minutes on a nightly basis gradually.
The benefit for the Clippers here is that opponents will not expect the former first-round pick to suit up, given the number of veterans on both units. Yet, because he is young and has potential, LA must play him in a fair role to watch him break out as a star, following the trend of other former Kentucky guards in the NBA.