It is yet another offseason of heartbreak for the Los Angeles Clippers, but approaching Year 5 of the Kawhi Leonard and Paul George era, this is certainly not the time to feel sorry for themselves. Sure, suffering one major injury after another to their top dogs is a tough pill to swallow. But at the end of the day, the Clippers have as much talent as anyone in the league; it's just a matter of continuing to stay the course and hope that, for once, injury luck falls kindly in their favor.
It has to be said that staying the course doesn't necessarily mean a failure to make any moves or deciding to ride out their current course. Acquiring upgrades on the margins will be pivotal for an aging Clippers team. And what better way for them to do so by maximizing their first-round pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Due to their momentous trade for Paul George in 2019, first-round picks will come few and far between for the Clippers. Since then, the Clippers have made only one selection in the first round, and he didn't even last the entire season in LA. The Clippers traded away their 2021 first-rounder, Keon Johnson, in a win-now move that brought back Norman Powell and Robert Covington.
Nevertheless, the Clippers have shown a penchant for nailing their fringe draft picks. In 2019, they selected Terance Mann, the team's current swiss-army knife, in the second round. And then in 2021, they picked up Brandon Boston Jr., someone who has shown flashes of being a quality scorer. Moussa Diabate may be a more impactful player in Year 2 as well.
Thus, the Clippers front office has definitely earned the benefit of the doubt. Therefore, it won't be a surprise at all if the Clippers end up targeting this experienced forward late in the first round.
Here is why the Clippers must target Trayce Jackson-Davis with the 30th overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, which they received as a pick swap from the Houston Rockets (via the Milwaukee Bucks) in the Eric Gordon trade.
Why Clippers must target Trayce Jackson-Davis in 2023 NBA Draft
Everyone knows that the NBA Draft is a crapshoot. Quality players have blossomed from almost every draft spot. Even then, it's extremely difficult to draft a quality role player, let alone a star, late in the draft.
The Clippers won't be expecting to draft a game-changing presence anyway in the upcoming draft. If they stumble upon a transformative player, that'll be great, but expecting to do so is a fool's gambit. Thus, it makes sense for the Clippers to stray away from players who on the surface may look like enticing prospects due to what scouts deem as their high ceiling, but are extremely raw and will take years before they even start contributing.
With that said, the Clippers should end up avoiding prospects with huge question marks all over their games such as GG Jackson, as young as they are making them likely to develop still.
On the contrary, the Clippers must target those who look like they can contribute right away. This has become more of a need especially with the Clippers feeling the brunt of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement rules. They will have difficulties re-signing some of their key free agents, so acquiring a youngster who can impact the game right away is imperative.
Jackson-Davis is already 23 years old. For reference, he is already two years older than Brandon Boston Jr., and he's just two years younger than Amir Coffey. But it's this experience that should make the prospect of drafting the big man out of Indiana such an enticing possibility.
In his senior year, Trayce Jackson-Davis averaged 20.9 points, 10 8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 2.9 blocks per game, a testament to his ability to dominate the interior on both ends of the floor. Standing at 6'9 with a 7'2 wingspan, Jackson-Davis has incredible physical tools, which are only accentuated by his incredible vertical leap. At the very least, if he manages to carry over this defensive feel, the Clippers could check off the “backup center” box in the list of needs they must fill this offseason.
Jackson-Davis' passing, however, is what separates him from most other prospects. Given the defensive attention the other Clippers tend to draw, the 23-year old big man should have plenty of opportunities to show off his incredible playmaking feel, either off dribble handoffs or when making the right play off the pick-and-roll.
He may not be a floor-spacing option at all, but his ability to contribute in plenty of other ways makes him such a home run pick for the Clippers this late in the first round.
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