National Basketball Association

LA Clippers: Can Brice Johnson, Diamond Stone contribute?

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 10:59 p.m. ET

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The LA Clippers’ rookie big men, Brice Johnson and Diamond Stone, have been impressing the team so far, but when and how will they be able to contribute?

September 26, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; LA Clippers forward Brice Johnson (10) speaks during media day at Clipper Training Facility in Playa Vista. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The LA Clippers landed their top target in the 2016 NBA Draft when they selected power forward Brice Johnson with the 25th overall pick. It was a pick that the team and its fans could be pleased with, but the latter stages of the draft prompted more questions.

Trading the 33rd pick to the New Orleans Pelicans for the 39th and 40th overall selections was a surprise, and was even more startling when the Clippers selected an essentially unknown French point guard, David Michineau, at 39. Rather than taking a big name and highly promising point guard like Demetrius Jackson, projected by many to go in the first round but fell to 45, the Clippers went with Michineau.

We’re yet to see how this unexpected pick turns out. Michineau is heading back to France for next season, so we won’t see anything come to fruition in L.A. just yet. Meanwhile, the Clippers’ 40th selection, center Diamond Stone, likely has a better chance of making a mark with the team once he develops. He, similarly to Jackson, was also projected by many to be selected at the end of the first round.

After parting with recent young players like C.J. Wilcox and Branden Dawson, the Clippers are ready to turn some rookie talent into players who can genuinely help the team further down the line.

Johnson has the best shot as the first round pick and other attributes that we’ll get onto next, but Doc has made it clear that he’ll let anyone break the rotation if they’re the right player for the job, as Dan Woike of the Orange County Register reported:

“I’ve not met a coach yet that won’t play the players to help them win,” Doc said. “If one of those two can break through, I’m all for it,” Rivers said Wednesday. “I’m not going to hold them back. And, I think, I don’t know if it’ll be early, but one of them has a chance.”

Doc added, “they both have the chance,” to contribute. But can they really? And, if so, which player has the better chance and who fits the team best?

Let’s begin with a look at Stone.

September 26, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) and center Diamond Stone (0) play a free throw game during media day at Clipper Training Facility in Playa Vista. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Diamond Stone’s potential

There’s a reason many projected Diamond Stone to be drafted in the last few picks of the first round this year. At 6’10” with a 7’3″ wingspan, the 19-year-old center has an excellent physical profile. For someone so young, he already has great size, and there’s always a chance he may grow a little in his already impressive frame.

He used that length to average 1.6 blocks in his 23.1 minutes per game as a freshman last season at Maryland, and it’s one of the biggest elements of his skill set that would have caught the attention of Doc and the Clippers. Stone shifts his feet fairly well for a man of his size, and the length gives him an immediate asset to help defensively.

As we saw in Summer League, though, knowing how to use that length, where to be on defense, how to rotate and help effectively, and how to avoid fouling are all things that will take time.

Offensively, Stone will also need work. He thrived as post player in college, possessing an array of moves on the low block and strong finishing inside. It’s the element of his game that’s most NBA ready, and he has real promise for what he can do before he’s even reached his 20th birthday. Again, there’s a reason why many pegged him as a first-round prospect. It’s developing consistent range and learning how to effectively roll to the basket that’s key.

Stone has had limited range for his basketball career so far, although Dan Woike reported a comment from Doc that favored Stone over Brice Johnson from the three-point line:

“Diamond can really shoot the ball. He was on the post in college, but when you watch him shoot, he wins more of the shooting drills. He can shoot the ball. They both have the chance. … I think Diamond shoots it better from the 3 than Brice does.”

Hitting threes in training camp is a little different to making them in a game. And as someone who attempted no threes at all in college, it’s safe to say living beyond the arc, or frequently much further than the elbow, is something Stone will do.

Even still, it doesn’t hurt that Doc is keen on what Stone can do so far and that the rookie has expanded his range.

At only 19, with need to develop his fairly raw game at both ends of the floor and build up muscle, Stone is a work in progress right now. Someone in his position isn’t the kind of player that can crack a Clippers’ big man rotation of Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, Marreese Speights and Brandon Bass right now. A few spells in the D-League and time to hone and transition his skills to the professional level would help.

With footage from practice showing Stone’s finishing near the rim, ability in the post, improving range, and the high praise from his coach and teammates, his impressive start has been one of the best surprises of training camp. The future looks bright for Stone.

Next, there’s Brice Johnson.

Brice Johnson’s two-way energy

Diamond Stone has been impressing the team so far and Doc is high on his chance to break into the rotation at some point down the line, but he obviously needs work and playing competitively in the NBA will take some adjusting.

That will be the case for any rookie, but 22-year-old Brice Johnson is more prepared than Stone.

Besides the four years of college experience to Stone’s one year, Johnson has the type of game that can help the Clippers earlier on. He has a skill set that thrives off energy. Whether he’s running the floor to break away for a dunk in transition or bounding across the paint for a help block on defense, Johnson’s stellar athleticism and length (at 6’11” with a 7’0″ wingspan) can make an impact right away.

It won’t take experience and teaching to use that length and explosiveness. In time, he’ll just need to add muscle to his slender frame to help his chances of competing inside and on the boards against bigger NBA bodies.

Posterization courtesy of @blakegriffin32. The @LAClippers rockin' the Bren!!! pic.twitter.com/9YlxVnM0qR

— Bren Events Center (@brencenter) October 1, 2016

Our Gaia Rhodes was at the LA Clippers’ open practice and scrimmage on Saturday to see how the team is coming along. Rhodes was impressed by Johnson’s smooth mid-range game, another strength he brings to the table, but saw that strength is clearly a weakness:

Brice Johnson has a great looking shot and seems to be in the right spot all the time.

He does, however, need to gain some weight if he’s going to bang with the big boys in the NBA. This was made extremely obvious when Brice foolishly tried to block a Blake Griffin dunk. Blake went right through the rookie and hammered it down so hard it surely would have been the top play on Sports Center.

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Even still, Johnson has a lot to offer. His primary weakness is strength and defending tougher opponents. Plus, Doc has said that Stone already has the better three-point shot. However, with his floor running ability, energy and strong rebounding (14.8 per 40 minutes last season in college), he has clear potential to be an energizer off the bench.

The question is whether the rookies crack the rotation. Johnson seems to have the edge as the Clippers’ top target in the draft with more experience, but the signing of Brandon Bass pushes him further down the depth chart. Johnson will be behind Blake Griffin and Bass at the four, while Stone is behind DeAndre Jordan and Marreese Speights at the five.

Can both the rookies contribute? Yes, just not right away. The promising takeaway from camp is that they’re impressing Doc already and Stone in particular has come along quicker than expected by expanding the range of his jump shot. Arriving as more of a young project, early development helps his case going forward.

As always, though, we need to be patient. They won’t be playing ahead of veterans or earning a much of a role yet.

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Doc’s comments that they’ll make the LA Clippers rotation if they prove themselves is what fans want to hear. Some draft success is needed from the team, and they seem to have done well with Johnson and Stone based on everything we’ve seen so far (again, these are the earliest days of their careers). Stone in particular could be a pleasant surprise, and earn a few spot minutes earlier in his young career than we may have expected if he continues this positive trajectory.

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