C.J. Wilcox

Marcus Fong

LAS VEGAS – Perhaps the biggest benefit for teams in their nearly two-week trek to the desert for Summer League is the opportunity for young players already on a roster to gain experience.

Teams like the Sacramento Kings or Utah Jazz have as many as six roster players in Vegas, and a year ago the Clippers used the time to give first-round pick Reggie Bullock a chance to learn their system and get a brief taste of professional basketball.

This year, with Bullock and 2014 first rounder C.J. Wilcox both sidelined due to injury, is different for the Clippers. Their 12-man roster consists of seven players with previous NBA experience and five rookie free agents. None of them are members of the regular-season roster.

The absence of Bullock, who is sitting out while he rehabs right quad soreness, and Wilcox, who has an injured right shoulder, is noticeable.

“It’d be great to have them here, not so we can win a game, but obviously C.J. hasn’t played pro basketball yet so it would be great to have him out here getting some experience,” Clippers Summer League coach Brendan O’Connor said. “The same thing with Reggie. He didn’t play a ton of minutes last year so it’d be great to have him getting some action out there.

It’s not about the final score so much as getting those guys some experience.”

O’Connor said the biggest thing that Wilcox could be learning is the Clippers’ regular-season terminology and coverages. But there is plenty more.

“It’s just the experience of playing,” O’Connor added. “There are different rules. The 3-point line is a little further back. For C.J., that’s a huge thing. We know he has that range, but it’s a little different when you’re stepping up to that line instead of the college line.”

The Clippers loss to the Bulls in their Summer League opener was another example of where Wilcox could have gained on-court experience. Second-year guard Tony Snell scored a game-high 27 points for Chicago, Wilcox would likely have been tasked with guarding him.

“He probably would’ve guarded Doug McDermott or Tony Snell, and you saw what he did to us,” O’Connor said. “That would have been a good experience for him because with the rules the way they are he hasn’t had to guard guys in that scenario.”

Similarly, Bullock, who averaged 18.0 points in five Summer League games last summer, could have been in position like Snell, a player picked five spots ahead of him in the 2013 Draft. He would have been the go-to scorer/shooter and Clippers veteran, having spent a year in the system. It also would have been a chance to erase a year that O’Connor admitted was “frustrating” after Bullock went down with severely sprained ankle in December.

“I still think he got a lot out of it, but when he got hurt, if you remember, he was really starting to play more and get confidence,” O’Connor said of Bullock. “That’s the same thing, if you play out here. Maybe it goes great, maybe they struggle a little bit. But it’s kind of like getting their feet wet. So, the experience is there and then it really is amazing how much further ahead they can be.”

Bullock exuded that a year ago, when he entered camp with a newfound confidence as a shooter and better understanding of the uptick in speed of the NBA game. Now, he and Wilcox are resigned to watching from home.

absence-of-bullock-and-wilcox-noticeable

ABSENCE OF BULLOCK AND WILCOX NOTICEABLE

Karen Song

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that they have signed first round draft pick C.J. Wilcox. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

 Wilcox, the 28th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, was a Second-Team All-Pac-12 performer for the second-straight year during his final season at Washington. The 6-foot-5 inch Wilcox averaged 18.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 32 games as a senior for the Huskies, hitting 90 3-pointers, leading the Pac-12 in 3-pointers per game (2.8), good for 32nd nationally.

 Wilcox, 23, was the Huskies leader in scoring, minutes played and 3-pointers made in 2013-14. His 18.5 points per game ranked fourth in the Pac-12 and he also finished second in the conference in free throw percentage (.868).

 A star at Pleasant Grove High School in Utah, Wilcox finished his collegiate career with 301 3-pointers, the most in Washington history, sixth in Pac-12 history and appeared in 131 total NCAA games. In his four seasons at UW, he was one of just three players in Pac-12 history to post 1,800 points, 275 made 3-pointers and 400 rebounds.

clippers-sign-c-j-wilcox

CLIPPERS SIGN C.J. WILCOX

The Los Angeles Clippers announced today that forward Reggie Bullock and guard C.J. Wilcox will not participate in the 2014 Samsung NBA Summer League.

Bullock, who appeared in 43 games for the Clippers last season averaged 2.7 points and 1.3 rebounds over 9.2 minutes of play, will not participate due to rehabilitation for right quad soreness he experienced during the 2013-14 season.

Wilcox, the 28th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft by the Clippers, will be held out due to a right shoulder injury. The 6-foot-5 inch Washington product averaged 18.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steals in 32 games as a senior.

“We would obviously love for both Reggie and C.J. to play in Summer League,” Clippers President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Doc Rivers said. “However, we want to take a conservative approach in their rehab process and make sure they are fully healthy and ready to go for the start of training camp.”

Both players are being held out for precautionary reasons.

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CLIPPERS INJURY UPDATE

PLAYA VISTA – Clippers rookie C.J. Wilcox knows the feeling.

Sitting in front of the Los Angeles media for the first time, wearing a black suit, white shirt and black tie, Wilcox talked adjusting to life on a contender, about learning from the guys ahead of him on the depth chart, about biding his time.

Wilcox, who was the 28th pick by the Clippers in last Thursday’s Draft and will wear jersey No. 30, was introduced at the team’s training center in Playa Vista Monday morning. Entering his first NBA summer, he’s projected as the third shooting guard and perhaps seventh wing on a roster loaded with known commodities.

There’s Jamal Crawford, the incumbent Sixth Man of the Year, and J.J. Redick, the starter and ace 3-point shooter. There’s Matt Barnes and Jared Dudley and Reggie Bullock.

In a way, the situation Wilcox has entered into as a professional mirrors his arrival in Seattle at the University of Washington in 2009. Back then six wings were ahead of him on the Huskies’ depth chart, including Quincy Pondexter, Abdul Gaddy and Justin Holiday.

“When I got to UW, there were like six guards ahead of me at that time, so I had to kind of figure my way out and work my way into the rotation,” Wilcox said. “I think being in that situation helped me prepare for a situation like this. So, I’m going to take it as a challenge and work hard and try to squeeze my way in.”

He worked his way into the rotation a year later and was a Pac-10 All-Freshman team member as a redshirt in 2009-10. By the time he was a senior, Wilcox led the Huskies in scoring and set the school record for career 3-pointers. While it was a difficult process, going from the second ranked high school player in the state of Utah in 2008-09 to watching games from behind the bench, it was something that helped make Wilcox who he is today.

“You’re dominant in high school and then you have to go and you’re the seventh wing that’s there [in college],” Wilcox said. “That was kind of eye-opening. I also think I took it as part of the process and continued to work hard and knew my time would come later on.”

There are no guaranteed graduates after four years, though, in the NBA. But that doesn’t mean Clippers head coach Doc Rivers thinks Wilcox will spend time languishing on the bench. He will compete for playing time throughout the summer and when camp opens in October.

“Obviously, we have a whole summer, so we’ll see how that all shakes out,” Rivers said when asked about the glut of shooting guards ahead of Wilcox on the Clippers’ roster. “But once camp starts, you just go and compete. That’s what makes our league so neat. Once the contracts and everybody is signed, then it’s who plays the best. You just see that, at least from a coaching standpoint.

“For C.J., he has two really good guys to be taught under. Learning the stuff from Jamal and how he scores and then learning the way J.J. moves without the ball, if you can combine those two guys into your game then playing time will probably not be a problem.”

Wilcox knows Crawford from playing against him in some open runs in Seattle, Crawford’s hometown and knows that Redick may be a valuable player to mirror. Wilcox and Redick have been favorably compared to the league’s all-time 3-point leader and Rivers’ former shooting guard Ray Allen, especially in their ability to come off screens and move without the ball.

“I’m going to work out with him as much as possible so he can show me what works in the NBA and what doesn’t,” Wilcox said of Redick. “I’ll do it with most players. I’ll try to take most from other guys as possible, but that’s what he does and I think that’s going to be my similar role. So, working out with him will help me prepare best.”

All of that preparation starts immediately for Wilcox, even if it all seems a little familiar.  

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WILCOX HAS BEEN THROUGH CROWDED DEPTH CHART BEFORE

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Photos: C.J. Wilcox News Conference

Clippers draft pick C.J. Wilcox took over the Clippers Twitter account to answer fan questions.

C.J. Wilcox

ABSENCE OF BULLOCK AND WILCOX NOTICEABLE

CLIPPERS SIGN C.J. WILCOX

CLIPPERS INJURY UPDATE

WILCOX HAS BEEN THROUGH CROWDED DEPTH CHART BEFORE

Photos: C.J. Wilcox News Conference

Ask C.J. Wilcox

Mark Rogondino Interview with Doc Rivers – 6/30/14

C.J. Wilcox News Conference - 6/30/14