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Summer League Practice Recap: Day 1

Steven Esparza

ORLANDO – The Clippers began preparations for the Southwest Airlines Orlando Pro Summer League with two practices Wednesday.

Summer League head coach Brendan O’Connor opened up the first practice by having the team break off in various shooting drills.

“It was good to get the guys out there and get after it,” O’Connor said. “I really liked the energy of everyone out on the court today.”

Once the drills were finished, the team ran through a series of offensive and defensive sets as well as going 5-on-5.

When the 5-on-5 play began, that’s when practice really seemed to take off. The Clippers trio of C.J. Wilcox, Jordan Hamilton and the newest addition to the roster, Branden Dawson, all seemed to jell right away.

“I had a lot of fun out there today,” Dawson said. “It was good to play with those guys (Wilcox, Hamilton). I got a chance to see how their games go with mine and it worked well.”

The two-hour session concluded with a series of scoring drills followed by free throws.

The night session picked up right where the first practice left off.

The coaching staff, this time led by assistant coach Armond Hill, went through specific drills focusing on rebounding and defense. The practice intensified when the team split up into five man teams and had officials present to provide more of a game feel.

The blue team, led by Nate Wolters and Wilcox, pulled away from the white team, which was spearheaded by Royce White and Diante Garrett. The second game ended just as the first one, with the blue team again winning, 5-3. After the two practices were over, the team huddled and got prepared for another two-practice session tomorrow.