With Opening Night against the Sacramento Kings coming up Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., a few key players will need to step up during this expected season of rebuilding … for both the roster and the franchise. The loss of two veterans–forward Brandon Ingram and guard Bradley Beal–at the beginning of the season leaves much to be proven by the active roster.
Here is a look at three players who will be key to the Clippers’ chances of success this season:
Rookie guard Keaton Wagler
Just three preseason games into his NBA career, rookie guard Keaton Wagler has shown potential as a scorer, and made his first official start in last Wednesday’s victory over the Denver Nuggets. Wagler averaged a promising 12 points, four rebounds and three assists per game during the preseason.
“He was taking his shots, being aggressive, but also making the right play as well,” Clippers Coach Tyronn Lue said of Wagler after the Denver game. “So I thought he did a good job with that. I think he had four rebounds early and finished with five, but just rebounding the basketball, because we got to do it by committee with our lack of size.”
Wagler has yet to be consistent in his overall shooting. With the preseason behind him, he has only shot 30.3% from the field and just 25% from three, offering plenty of room to grow entering his first season in the NBA, after only one season in college at Illinois.
Despite having his strongest night statistically against the Nuggets, the preseason left plenty of room for Wagler’s improvement. As he gets inserted in prime positions to make an impact, improvements to his shooting efficiency and maintaining offensive consistency will be key.
Guard Darius Garland
Marking his second season and first full season with the Clippers, Garland serves as the team leader on the court. The majority of the offense flows through Garland’s playmaking ability, allowing him to spread the wealth to the front court and to his rookie backcourt mate, Wagler, respectively. Against the Nuggets, Garland tallied seven assists, bringing his average to 5.7 assists over the three-game preseason stretch.
The dynamic between Garland and Wagler is likely one that will be at the center of the Clippers’ offense this season. The veteran-rookie duo blends Wagler’s size and rebound productivity with Garland’s aforementioned playmaking skills and defensive prowess, often producing steals that can turn into scoring opportunities.
“I’ll bring up the ball sometimes, he’ll bring up the ball sometimes depending on what actions we want to get into, and I think it worked out well,” Wagler said Wednesday night, in regards to working with Garland. “We got good shots, I got good shots, and then, when he went off to the bench, that’s when I was a little bit more aggressive to try and look for my own.”
Forward Rui Hachimura
Hachimura, the Japan native out of Gonzaga, has arguably been the most anticipated addition to the Clippers’ post play this season. As a free agent coming down the freeway from the Lakers, Lue and his staff have pushed for Hachimura to make his biggest impact by emphasizing his three-point shooting and just getting past defenses. In the three preseason games, Hachimura averaged 17 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
Garland and Hachimura are expected to face extra defensive coverage, which will likely force them to create scoring opportunities for teammates.
“Trying to get off the ball as quick as we can. Make the extra pass,” Garland says. “We trust our team when we get doubled.”
While Hachimura has been a highlight offensively, he has to pick up the pace in scoring. In Wednesday’s game against Denver, he did not score until late in the second quarter. With expectations for him to snag seven or eight rebounds per game and be one of the team’s priorities on offense, Hachimura will need to establish an earlier offensive presence to maximize his impact.
The Clippers showed promise while finishing the preseason 2-1. But the true tests lie ahead as the regular season begins.
Opportunities will be there for other faces to make their own impact, and the Clippers figure to need all of their players to contribute in different ways until they are back at full strength.