NBA Draft 2018: Clippers take Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at No. 11
The Clippers select a combo guard out of Kentucky, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, with the newly acquired No. 11 overall pick in the NBA Draft.
With the No. 11 overall pick, the Los Angeles Clippers selected Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, out of the University of Kentucky.
The Clippers acquired this pick by moving up from the twelfth overall pick by including a couple of second round picks. This trade allows them to get Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a player who was linked to them heavily during the pre-draft process.
Gilgeous-Alexander comes into a backcourt full of combo guards already, with Austin Rivers, Lou Williams, Milos Teodosic, Jawun Evans and Patrick Beverley all potentially under contract for next year, but none of those guys are likely to be in the long run plans at the level that Gilgeous-Alexander is, and several of them may elect not to take player options in the first place. After the summer of 2019, it’s entirely plausible that none of those guys will be on the Clippers roster, with Lou Williams the only one of them with a guaranteed contract beyond that point.
In the short run, Gilgeous-Alexander should pair nicely as a defensive cover for Lou Williams, and also take a few of the ball handling responsibilities that Lou struggles with at times from the point guard. In the long run, he should provide a player with a high upside for the Clippers to build a core around. He likely won’t ever be the future star the Clippers need, but he should be more than capable of growing into a top 50 player in the NBA. There are definite questions about his game, including shooting (He only made 23 3-point attempts in college) and the exact extent of his defensive versatility (He struggled with the quicker point guards he faced, such as LSU’s Tremont Waters, and doesn’t have the weight to guard stronger wings), but if he manages to answer those questions, then he could be extremely successful.