Clippers Draft Grade: CJ Wilcox
By Micky Shaked
The candidate
No. 28: CJ Wilcox, SF, University of Washington
The grade
C-
The alternatives
Cleanthony Early, SF, Wichita State
Jordan Clarkson, PG,
Missouri Jarnell Stokes, PF, Tennessee
K.J. McDaniels, SF, Clemson
The skinny
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Newly promoted president of basketball operations Doc Rivers entered the draft needing help in the frontcourt and behind
, but only one pick at his disposal. The Clippers also had their eye on competition for Matt Barnes on the wing.
He opted, instead, to address the issue of finishing 22nd in 3-point percentage last season. Among the other prospects the Clippers were monitoring this summer was Mitch McGary, taken with the No. 21 pick by Oklahoma City.
So, Wilcox became the newest member of the Los Angeles Clippers. The 6’5″, four-year player earned two All Pac-12 honors at University of Washington. One of the oldest players in the draft, Wilcox gained notoriety as a long range sniper. This pick comes as a surprise a bit of a surprise given the team’s backlog of shooting guards. Rivers specifically targeted J.J. Redick last summer, though this could be a move in anticipation of Jamal Crawford (at age 35) hanging up the sneakers a year from now. Still, Los Angeles selected Reggie Bullock for the same purpose a year ago, so this feels a bit redundant.
Despite an impressive wingspan, questions persist over C.J. Wilcox’s defense. Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
That’s not to say Wilcox has no value. He finished last season hitting 39.1 percent from beyond the arc on an incredible 7.2 attempts per game, and never shot below 36 percent in four years in Seattle. He set the Huskies’ career record with 301 career 3-pointers made.
Wilcox has been simultaneously described as a defensive liability and possessing room to improve on that end if his frame can bulk up. That 6-9 ¾ wingspan allowed him to record one steal and one block per game despite being a step slow on most opponents.
The hope here is Wilcox can develop into a solid rotation sniper for Rivers, eventually taking some of Crawford’s minutes next to Paul. Given the team’s history injury, Wilcox could benefit immediately from minutes management to Redick and Crawford if he can get ahead of Bullock on the depth chart. Some expect him to step in right away.
The Clippers take C.J. Wilcox at #28. One of the best shooters in the draft. Also one of the oldest. Should be able to contribute quickly.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 27, 2014
I don’t see him adjusting to the pace well enough in Year One. But Wilcox was one of the first players to workout for the Clippers and Rivers had his eye on the sharpshooter for a while.
"“It’s actually funny that was one of the worst workouts that I had,” Wilcox said via conference call shortly after being selected. “I walked out of there not too confident with how it went, but I talked to my agent afterwards and he said they had been watching me for a while and they still liked what I brought to the table.”"
Rivers claimed to have used the “draft the best available player on our board over need’ strategy, though some would argue there were plenty of more talented players to be had in Cleanthony Early, K.J. McDaniels and Jarnell Stokes.
It would have been great if Rivers addressed one of the more pressing needs, specifically finding backups for Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. Though with McGary gone at No. 21 there were very few impactful bigs left.
Let us know how you felt about the Clips’ night in the poll question and who you would have rather taken in the comments below.