What the Los Angeles Clippers should have done with the 13th pick

The Los Angeles Clippers selected Jerome Robinson with the 13th overall pick. Although he is solid, the Clippers should have handled it differently.

Heading into the 2018 NBA Draft we really expected the Los Angeles Clippers to select a center with either the 12th or the 13th overall pick. With DeAndre Jordan, at most, only locked down one more season, the Clippers obviously needed to prepare for the future in a center-heavy draft class.

Instead, the team decided to bolster the backcourt by selecting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jerome Robinson.

The Gilgeous-Alexander was a good one for the Clippers, who were also looking for a dynamic point guard that had room to grow. Gilgeous-Alexander provided just that, and to some, is projected to be more talented than Trae Young and Collin Sexton, the two guards drafted before him.

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Los Angeles had to move up one pick to get Gilgeous-Alexander, but it was not a bad trade. The Clippers sent two future second-round picks for the draft rights to GIlgeous-Alexander from the Hornets. Charlotte then selected Miles Bridges from Michigan State.

It was the Clippers’ second pick of the night that was more surprising in Jerome Robinson. Robinson gives the Clippers its second 6’6″ guard in the draft and is a solid off-ball and on-ball scorer from the two guard.

Wanting to bolster the guard position makes sense as the only guards locked down past next season are Lou Williams and Juwan Evans.

This selection also makes sense as the Clippers are not committing to a rebuild, which they should, and Robinson is already close to his ceiling.

I totally get what the Clippers are doing with this selection and I do not blame the team at all for wanting to go that route. It is hard to draft two guys that might work out in a few years. Robinson gives the Clippers comfort as they know exactly what they are going to get.

The problem with this selection is how high they selected Robinson, especially considering who was still left on the board. With the looming Michael Porter JJr, who was selected with the next pick, the Clippers could have capitalized and either selected Porter or moved down in the draft.

Los Angeles obviously did not want Porter, so moving down in the draft would have been a huge return for the team. Robinson likely would not have fallen off the board and the Clippers could have capitalized on a desperate team that was intrigued by the promise of Porter, who could’ve been a top-five pick if it was not for injury concerns.

The Atlanta Hawks, who already drafted Trae Young, were the perfect team to target in this deal. Atlanta had the insurance to take a gamble with a high pick already selected and had assets to deal the Clippers. All Los Angeles had to do was move down six selections to number 19.

With three first-round picks in next year’s draft, two of which are protected, the Clippers could have landed the Cavaliers top-10 protected pick in next year’s draft. If the pick landed in the top-10 next year, the same protection would just roll over (like the Lakers, who eventually ran out of luck with the 76ers and had to convey their pick).

The Hawks would then get two top-five talents and still have two picks in next year’s draft while the Clippers most likely would have still got Robinson.

Of course, that is not a guarantee, but then the Clippers likely would have had a shot at either Lonnie Walker or Kevin Huerter, depending who Robinson got picked for instead of, who both present high upsides as well.

Next: Time for Clippers to rebuild, not contend

Jerome Robinson will likely be an important role player for the Los Angeles Clippers. However, that does not mean the Clippers should have selected him so high.

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