Among the many things people anticipated over the offseason, one was how Kobe Sanders, a second-round pick in 2025, would look in year two. He straight-up dominated during the 2026 Summer League, leaving the following questions on the table: Can he keep that momentum going? Regress as a sophomore? Or make gradual improvements in his game?
Two games in, Sanders may not be scoring much, or efficiently, averaging 3.5 points and shooting 33.3% from the field and 25.0% from beyond the arc, but he has done a phenomenal job on defense.
Sanders’ efforts pushed the Clippers to a massive opening-night win over the Sacramento Kings. They came in clutch guarding Luka Doncic, and the Los Angeles Lakers almost got a victory as well.
Kobe Sanders might not be scoring, but he’s leaving his mark with exceptional defense
So far, Kobe Sanders has taken a different approach to the game. He hasn’t been aggressive, but he’s letting the ball find his hands offensively. According to NBA.com’s advanced stats, Sanders has driven the ball only twice in 38 minutes. In addition, Sanders has taken just nine shots overall, with four of them being three-pointers. This looks starkly different from last season, when the offensive side of the ball was his bread and butter.
At the same time, though, he’s giving it his all on man-to-man defense. This is almost identical to how Nicolas Batum played with the LA Clippers.
Against the Sacramento Kings, Sanders made life extremely difficult for Darius Acuff Jr., a highly-regarded seventh overall pick with a knack for scoring. He defended Acuff Jr. for multiple possessions, sticking with him and contesting his shots, which led to the rookie going 5-24 from the field and committing four turnovers.
In Los Angeles, Sanders played just 19 minutes during the Battle of L.A. But while he was on the court, the former second-round pick had moments guarding Luka Doncic. In the end, he contributed to Doncic's 8-21 shooting.
Additionally, among eligible players (avg. 15 or more minutes over the past two games), Sanders has the team's best defensive rating at 94.4. This isn't by accident; he's been an excellent defender since the start of his second season.
That said, even though the young guard isn’t scoring as much as some might’ve hoped, he’s still playing excellent basketball. He’s a true team player, and that’s what the Clippers need to win games.
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