2017-18 Season

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Photos: 2018 Kia Sixth Man of the Year Lou Williams

Celeste Mendez

As this year’s draft prospects walk into the L.A. Clippers Training Center in Playa Vista, surrounding the court are key evaluators and decision- makers including Head Coach Doc Rivers, President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank and Chairman Steve Ballmer. However, the man running the workout and explaining the drills is Director of Player Programs and General Manager for the Agua Caliente Clippers, Dee Brown.

Prior to joining the Clippers, Brown served as Director of Player Development for the Denver Nuggets and the Sacramento Kings and he was an assistant coach under Michael Malone with the Detroit Pistons. His ability to cultivate talent is informed by his own experiences as a player, having spent 12 years in the league playing for the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors and Orlando Magic.

Throughout the season Brown’s role entails developing players both on and off the field, but in preparation for the draft he is tasked with, as he says, helping “identify the best players for this basketball team.”

“We want a certain player that fits the Clippers characteristics that Steve Ballmer, Lawrence Frank and Doc Rivers [have] addressed to us. [These are] the characteristics that we want of our guys: hardworking, selfless, being about the right things, all about the team and understanding their role... You have to have these types of traits. Running, jumping and dunking, we can work on that stuff, but the DNA characteristics of being a Clipper, we are trying to establish that.”

The Clippers are growing closer to selecting their 12th and 13th picks in Thursday’s draft, and what will set these highly-skilled players apart is whether they have the heart of the Clippers. By creating situations in which these prospects need to think on their feet, interact with players that they’ve never met before and perform at a high level, Brown and the rest of the front office are better able to assess the quality of player that they see.

Given Brown’s extensive experience in the league and proven success in his first year as General Manager for the Clippers’ G-League team, he is an invaluable asset in evaluating the intangibles of potential future Clippers.

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Dee Brown, the Man Behind the Pre-Draft Workouts

Miles Bridges is accustomed to bright lights and pressure situations, so it is no surprise that in today’s pre-draft workout with the Clippers, he stood out among five of his peers.

An explosive forward who’s projected anywhere from the sixth to 14th pick in next week’s draft, Bridges was born and raised in Flint, Michigan, a basketball hotbed. In 2016, he was a heavily sought after recruit with his resume including the McDonald’s All-American game, Jordan Brand Classic, and Peach Jam. Rated seventh overall by ESPN in the 2016 class, Bridges decided to take his talents to East Lansing, opting over North Carolina, Indiana, Kentucky and Michigan.

Bridges’ impact on coach Tom Izzo’s system could be seen almost immediately. In his freshman campaign, he averaged a little under 17 points, eight rebounds, and two assists while establishing his name in the MSU record books. Despite projecting as a mid-first round pick, he decided to forgo the NBA draft and stay at Michigan State for his sophomore year. In his second year, Bridges evolved as a scorer and playmaker, increasing both his points and assists averages. He has also built a name for himself by bullying defenders off the pick-and-roll and shooting a consistent 37 percent from deep. Outside of the tangibles, many teams and scouts are delighted at the thought of a stretch forward with a high basketball IQ, heart, and hustle like no other.

“I try to give the same effort wherever I am because you never know where I am going to end up, so I try to give 110% wherever I go,” said Bridges.”This was a great workout and I gave it my all.”

No prospect comes without potential for improvement. Although Bridges is incredibly athletic, he’s not as long or as tall as other stretch fours. Also, in a league that increasingly values wings that can handle the ball and make plays, Bridges at times struggles with ballhandling in the open court. Bridges knows where he needs to improve, and is working tirelessly to do so.

“We’re all humans. We all have flaws, so there [are] no perfect players, no perfect people. Here, you’re trying to get a sense of their humility and their drive for areas that are weaknesses. How committed will they be to address those, and how confident are we that they can get those areas improved," said Lawrence Frank, President of Basketball Operations.

With a premium on size, versatility and scoring ability, Bridges would make a great addition to virtually any system, especially the Clippers’. He is athletic, consistent, and a solid two-way player. What he lacks in length he makes up in hustle. Very similar to Michigan State, the Clippers are heavy users of the pick-and-roll, where Bridges is at his best. He has put in the work to improve his efficiency and output each year, and that’s exactly the type of hard-nosed two-way player the Clippers are searching for.

"We feel really excited about the draft, that we’re going to get two players that are Clippers. And when we talk about what’s a Clipper, it’s a competitive, high-basketball character, tough, high IQ guy,” said Frank.

“I think I could fit in well with [the Clippers’ system], being a threat on offense, being versatile, that’s great for any team.” said Bridges.

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Bridges’ Versatility Impresses Clippers

With the NBA Draft quickly approaching, the L.A. Clippers continued their search Wednesday for the next wave of young talent, hosting six prospects from five universities around the country. The workout group included Miles Bridges (Michigan State), Matt Farrell (Notre Dame), Gyorgy (G.G.) Goloman (UCLA), Aaron Holiday (UCLA), Kevin Knox (Kentucky) and Doral Moore (Wake Forest). Holding the 12th and 13th picks in next week’s draft, the Clippers are in a unique position to select two prospects that will represent an infusion of young premier talent.

So, what exactly are these players being evaluated on? Director of Player Programs, Dee Brown, says the team wants to see prospects compete.

“The drills we do are a direct reflection of what we need to evaluate. We put them in situations where they need to think and feel uncomfortable at times.”

But that’s not all that Brown and the rest of the front office are looking for. As Brown states, “We are looking to evaluate guys on their ‘Clipper characteristics’, and that has to do with the way that they act on and off the court, and not just their skills. We want a [certain] type of player here. We don’t want just any player here.”

And given their track record, these prospects can certainly prove they belong here.

Under head coach Tom Izzo, Bridges left his mark at Michigan State. Bridges’ return to East Lansing proved to be beneficial for the wing. He grew into his frame and continued to lead the team and dominate the Big 10. In his second year, he led Michigan state in scoring, was a unanimous All-Big Ten First Team selection and a consensus Second Team All-American.

Knox is one and done and onto the NBA. The likely lottery pick made the most out of his freshman year at Kentucky, averaging 15.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He was named to the All-SEC First Team and SEC All-Freshman Team and recorded the eighth-most points in a season in school history.

As the third Holiday to enter in the NBA draft, Aaron has made a name for himself outside of the impressive shadows of his brothers. The junior guard, who averaged 14.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists while at UCLA, has proven to be a dependable scorer and will leave school ranked 25th on UCLA’s all-time scoring list.

Notre Dame’s starting point guard, Farrell finished the season averaging 16.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists his senior year. He was an offensive weapon and shot lights out from behind the arc, breaking both the school record for the most 3-pointers in a regular season game and in an ACC season. The New Jersey native was named All-ACC Third Team last year and Notre Dame Playmaker of the Year as a junior.

Goloman, who led the Bruins in blocked shots last year, has a strong defensive presence in the paint. Standing 6’10”, Goloman shot 52.3% from the field in his four years. One of his best games came against Arizona where he scored a career-high 16 points against projected top draft pick DeAndre Ayton.

Moore is intertwined with a little bit of Clippers history, having played at Wake Forest under former Clippers No. 1 overall pick, Danny Manning. Manning described Moore as having made the most progress he’s ever seen of any player in the offseason, and his junior year stats agree. This past season, he averaged 11.1 points and 9.4 rebounds, a step up from just 2.6 points and 2.2 rebounds the previous season.

Wednesday’s workout left both the Clippers and prospects feeling good. Bridges thought the workout challenged the group, “Every workout I have done is a lot of competition. This is just a lot more up and down than most workouts, and that’s good for us, testing our conditioning, testing our heart and will.”

Frank echoed those sentiments and highlighted that the team’s objective was to utilize today’s workout to evaluate prospects in a fatigued state. Because toughness is one of the key ‘Clippers characteristics,’ it’s certainly helpful to, in Frank’s words, “see how mentally they can respond to a little adversity.”

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Clippers Evaluate Top Wing Prospects

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Pre-Audition Workshop #1

Joseph Ibarra

PLAYA VISTA —  In a league full of explosive jumpers, Zhaire Smith flies higher than most. At the draft combine, his vertical jump measured in at 41.5 inches, third highest out of all the participants. For the former Texas Tech guard, his athleticism is outstanding and perhaps his greatest trait as teams evaluate him for June’s draft. However, the most impressive leap Smith made in the past year isn’t a dunk, but on draft boards.

Coming out of high school, Smith was a 3-star recruit. For reference, there are not 2-star or 1-star recruits. He grew up in Garland, Texas, which sits in the Dallas area, and was recruited almost exclusively by schools in that region: Texas, Arkansas, Kansas State and Memphis, among others. 247Sports, a recruiting website, listed Smith as the nation’s 199th ranked player, and the 40th-best guard in his graduating class. When he announced his signing, there was not much media coverage, with solely cell phone photos and videos posted, and only by those directly effected by his decision posting articles.

Yet, just a year removed high school, Smith is forecasted as a first round selection by nearly all mock drafts, expected to go in the 15-20 range. He leaves Tech as the Big-12 Newcomer of the Year and honorable mention All-Big-12 and was on the All-Big-12 defensive team. His ascent can be attributed to a vast amount of reasons, but why he’s improved so much is simple. Smith possesses an incredible work ethic, constantly discovering ways to better himself, and he knows what he must do to find a home in the NBA.

“[Teams] want to see ball handling and shooting,” Smith said, following his workout with the Clippers. “I believe I can show that.”

In the “Pace and Space” era of basketball, Smith will likely play more of an off-ball position on the wing. In college, Smith occasionally slotted in the power forward position, but standing at 6-foot-4, he’ll probably be more of a shooting guard and small forward. Throughout his entire freshman season at Texas Tech, Smith shot a promising percentage from three, connecting 45 percent of the time. It’s the volume of attempts that keeps teams skeptical, as he only shot 40 3-pointers total, making 18. In fact, Smith never attempted a 3-pointer in high school until his senior season, he admitted, expanding to explain that he played center earlier in his high school career. But, he’s optimistic that he’s grown as a shooter, and teams will see how much he’s developed.

“I shot well in my pro day; I believe I shot well here,” Smith said. “[I need] just to continue to show the team I can knock down threes.”

For the Clippers, Smith created an impression.

“Zhaire Smith, certainly his athleticism gets the fans on the edge of their seat, to say the least,” Trent Redden, Assistant General Manager for the Clippers, said “But to see over the last two months where his skill level has improved, he’s a tireless worker, so that’s fantastic.”

With all the pre-draft talk centered around questions about Smith’s offensive fit, defensively there are fewer questions. His quickness and basketball IQ are superb, and he guarded players at every position in college.Tech faced Big 12 rival Oklahoma and likely top-10 draft pick Trae Young twice.In those two games, Smith led the way in holding Young to 28-percent shooting on 11-of-39 total and he’s aware that defense is the avenue to finding playing time early in his career. When he was asked about the potential pairing with Clippers guard Patrick Beverley, Smith eye’s widened at the possibility.

“Oh! I can learn a lot, get some good tips and learn some of the hacks he uses,” Smith said, smiling.

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Zhaire Smith is rising up the draft boards

PLAYA VISTA —  Former USC guard De’Anthony Melton sat in a chair smiling in the middle of the Clippers’ film room, almost giddy while pondering a possible version of his future.

“Man, after practice if I could go home to my little brother, my mom, that’d be crazy,” Melton said. “All my resources are here, and it would be an honor just to play in front of all my friends and family.”

Melton was asked what it would be like to play for the Clippers following a workout with the team on Monday. Despite not playing competitively for the past year, Melton thought the workout felt all too familiar.

“I had played against Troy Brown before, so I kind of knew him coming in. Drew Eubanks has been with my agency, so I’ve seen him play before,” Melton said. But why was he so comfortable and what made this one different? “Just being home, just having everyone here,” he said.

Melton grew up in the Los Angeles area, attending Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino, and later attended the University of Southern California, where he enrolled in 2016. In his freshman season, he averaged 8.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists, with his skill set often described as like a Swiss army knife. However, during his sophomore season, he was declared ineligible relating to a broader probe into the university’s athletic program. As such, Melton has not played competitive basketball in over a year, which makes him one of the hardest players to evaluate ahead of this June’s draft. So, the Clippers invited him to Monday’s workout, and he stuck out.

“Melton was spectacular in terms of his effort level,” said Trent Redden, Assistant General Manager for the Clippers. “[It’s helpful] to see where the growth in his game was.”

Since February, Melton has been training privately, preparing extensively for the draft.

“I’ve gotten a lot better at the pick-and-roll and being a point guard,” Melton said. “My shooting has looked a lot better, feels a lot better, so, I’m getting better at that. I just can’t wait to develop as a basketball player.“

Although, what Melton is best at, he believes, aligns perfectly with the direction of the Clippers’ franchise.

“I love this new wave [the Clippers] are getting on, defensive, long guys, two-way players,” Melton said. “And I feel like I’m one of the best at that.”

Melton stands at 6-foot-3, with nearly a 6-foot-9 wingspan. One of the players he mentioned spending time watching film on is Avery Bradley, whose body type is very similar to his own at 6-foot-2, with a 6-foot-7 wingspan. Some players exert all their focus and energy on offense, neglecting defense, or vice versa. But for Melton he sets a high standard of performance on both sides of the ball.

“For players to really get it done on both ends and do it well, it’s hard. It’s a lot tougher than people think,” he said.

From the team side, hosting Melton in a workout was helpful in answering certain questions that don’t translate when studying tape.

“It’s all [that] body language and all those things that go into being a really, really good player that you miss just by watching the video,” Lawrence Frank said, President of Basketball Operations.

How does he respond to coaching, how does he respond after he makes a mistake? How does he respond to a teammate making a mistake, to that teammate?”

As Melton sat in the film room after the workout, contemplating the possible match between himself and the team that brought him in, analyzing all the benefits to staying home, he recognized a piece of himself within the Clippers organization.

“The Clipper organization is up-and-coming, and I could tell they’re hungry. Hungry because they want success right away and I think I can bring them that,” Melton said.

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Melton stands out in workout, sees fit with new wave Clippers

PLAYA VISTA —  Lining the courts at the Clippers’ practice facility were Doc Rivers, Jerry West, Lawrence Frank and Steve Ballmer, along with the entirety of the Clippers’ coaching staff and front office. The Clippers hosted a pre-draft workout, with the goal of evaluating prospects under simulated duress, and the whole contingency was there to watch.

“You try to put them in situations that aren’t necessarily in their comfort levels,” Frank said. “How do they respond to different situations that we aren’t quite sure about, because they weren’t exposed to it as much at the college game.”

NBA job interviews are quite different than those in any other field, and six players participated in this audition: Troy Brown (Oregon), De’Anthony Melton (USC), Zhaire Smith (Texas Tech), Angel Delgado (Seton Hall), Drew Eubanks (Oregon State) and Brandon Sampson (LSU). The players ran through warmups and shooting drills, along with one-on-one, two-on-two and three-on-three competition.

“I really love this time of year. What you have is these young men competing, and they are competing for their ultimate dream,” Frank said. “What we try to do is mix up the combinations and see how they respond to different teammates, and see how they can play in different situations.”

According to numerous mock drafts, Brown, Melton and Smith are each projected to be selected in the first round, and each highlights certain characteristics that align with the current ethos of the Clippers’ roster composition – players with ability to play and defend at multiple positions.

Standing at 6-foot-7, Brown retains the height, length and quickness to defend smaller guards and even hold larger forwards in check for short spells. Both Melton and Smith reach 6-foot-4, and swing between both guard spots rather seamlessly. In the modern era of basketball, positional flexibility is at a premium, and when asked what position he plays, Brown deflected any labeling.

“Honestly, I’m just a basketball player. I feel like I can do anything on the court, whatever you need me to do to win,” Brown said.

But when probed about what he needs to improve upon, Brown responded with a more direct answer.

“They keep telling me defensively I have to be a lockdown defender,” Brown said. “Especially if I want to keep going with the whole versatility thing.”

Teams across the league are holding workouts for players, all trying to get an inside perspective on players they’ve been scouting from afar. For some players, it means traveling hundreds of miles on back-to-back nights. But for Smith, today’s workout with the Clippers was his first, and it happened on his 19th birthday.

“The workout was great, I learned a lot,” Smith said. “I need to use my legs more when I get tired, when you’re tired you just start getting sloppy. So, I need to continue to fight through my tiredness.”

Smith added he’s been told that shooting and ball handling are potential areas of improvement, but felt like he performed well in both areas during the workout.

As for Melton, this was his sixth workout, and he said the Clippers’ was one of his favorites. When asked how he’s been preparing, Melton said he watches a lot of film and hones in on players with two-way tenacity that are relentless on both offense and defense.

It turns out one of his favorite players to study is Clippers guard Avery Bradley.

“For players to really get it done on both ends and do it well, it’s hard. It’s a lot tougher than people think,” Melton said.

With the NBA Draft set ‪on June 21st and the Clippers holding the 12th and 13th picks, the team is likely to hold one or two more workouts with media access in the upcoming weeks.

“Every workout is unique and distinct,” Frank said. “How do they respond when you’re a little constructive with your criticism? How are they with their teammates? These are things we can maybe see on the sideline, but because we are right there, it’s a different perspective.”

2017‑18 Season