PLAYA VISTA, Calif. – Clippers head coach Doc Rivers expressed his enthusiasm about drafting Brice Johnson, Diamond Stone and David Michineau during Tuesday’s introductory draft pick press conference.
Rivers said through the ups and downs each of them experienced at Summer League, he saw aspects of their games that made them the players the Clippers wanted to draft.
“I think we’re very fortunate in the draft that, in our case, you could say these guys have fallen to us,” Rivers said. “After watching them in the summer, I feel very good about our picks.”
That’s not to belittle how much work’s left to do for the picks to be ready to contribute at the NBA level.
Rivers said he never overdoes Summer League production, since the jump to actual NBA competition is “gigantic.” That’s something the Clippers’ rookie bigs know they need to prepare for, even after averaging double digits in scoring in Orlando.
Johnson and Stone both demonstrated their talent and potential offensively, but they know they’ll need to dedicate themselves in the weight room to have the strength to hold up on the other end of the floor defending the frontcourt players they’ll see at the NBA level.
They found out quickly at Summer League how important that’s going to be.
“We’ve got to get a lot stronger,” Stone said. “These are grown men we’re playing against. Hopefully during training camp, working with the bigs like Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, being able to get stronger, lifting with the strength coach, that’s a big part of the game right now. For me, especially, I’ve got to get a lot stronger.”
Stone posted at least 15 points in two of his five games, but he also fouled out with 10 fouls against Oklahoma City in a game that featured the biggest frontcourt the Clippers would see in Summer League play.
Johnson led the Clippers with 15.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, but he also averaged more than six fouls per game as he adjusted to the size of the competition.
“Getting stronger’s probably the biggest thing for me,” Johnson said, seconding Stone’s comments. “I’m very gifted offensively obviously, but I just have to be able to hold my own on the defensive end and not get pushed around. That’s probably the biggest thing that hurt me during Summer League.”
Johnson said he hopes to put on 20 to 25 pounds, eventually – a weight he feels he can still play comfortably at. He’s confident now, with the Clippers’ draft picks finally arriving in Los Angeles, the free time he has before training camp can be used to get in the weight room and get his body in the right shape.
“I’ll be able to pay for a lot more food that I can eat that is good for me and not go to McDonald’s or eat bad food all the time,” Johnson said. “It’s just a transition for me. Just being able to say I’m a professional athlete and have the resources to get myself to that weight and play with that weight will be a lot better.”