The move to the Big 10 by USC and UCLA played a role in the Clippers‘ selection of Yanic Konan Niederhauser with the 30th pick Wednesday night. In a post-draft session with reporters, president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said Penn State held practices at his team’s facility when it traveled west to face the Southern California schools (Twitter link). That gave Clippers officials a chance to watch the Nittany Lions’ center up close.
Frank added that L.A. was searching for a big man with size who can roll to the rim and serve as an effective backup for Ivica Zubac. Frank and general manager Trent Redden preferred to avoid a direct comparison, but Frank said they were hoping to find a center with skills similar to Clint Capela (Twitter link).
Frank added that historically a player drafted at the end of the first round only has a 15% chance to still be in the league five years later (Twitter link). They have confidence that Niederhauser will be able to accomplish that, with Redden adding that Niederhauser “has real upside” and should benefit from the chance to learn the game from Zubac.
There’s more on the Clippers:
- Frank stated that keeping James Harden is the team’s top priority for the offseason (Twitter link). The 35-year-old guard has to decide by Sunday whether to opt out of a $36.3MM salary for next season. If Harden chooses free agency, Frank said he hopes they can reach a mutually beneficial agreement on a long-term deal.
- Regarding the trade market this summer, Frank wants to make sure the team stays in position to make a competitive offer if star players become available (Twitter link). “You’re constantly engaged and looking to get better,” he said. “… Our goal is how can we get this current group as good as it can possibly be … but have flexibility going forward.”
- Frank told reporters that Kawhi Leonard kept up his training regimen through the end of the NBA Finals “to push his body to get to that point so he can play deep in June.” Leonard didn’t make his season debut until early January, but he was mostly healthy after that and was able to play in all seven games of the Clippers’ first-round playoff series. “He’s extremely excited because it’s the first time in a while he is not rehabbing from injury … and getting back to working,” Frank said (Twitter link).