The Clippers appear to be positioning themselves to draft either Darius Acuff Jr. or Mikel Brown Jr.

Mikel Brown Jr. is incredibly skilled, IMO he is the most naturally gifted player in this draft and I am a huge Acuff Jr fan, but he’s listed around 6’3” and under 180 pounds. At the NBA level, that’s always going to create defensive concerns. Teams are bigger than ever now, and playoff basketball inevitably becomes a relentless hunt for mismatches.

Acuff is a different story. He isn’t huge by NBA standards, but he’s built like a football player. At roughly 6’2” and around 190 pounds, he has a powerful frame, watch his open training dude is built, lots of solid muscle, especially in legs, scouts have repeatedly praised his muscle mass. He doesn’t look like your traditional, skinny lead guard, he looks more like a defensive back or a safety who just happens to play point guard.

Even then, you’re still talking about a smaller lead guard. **So if the Clippers truly believe Acuff or MBJ is their future point guard, why would they also commit major resources to Garland?**

The league is actively moving away from small backcourts; just look at the teams dominating right now. Oklahoma City starts a 6’6” MVP-level lead guard, surrounds him with length everywhere, and never sacrifices size. San Antonio is doing exactly the same thing.

That’s where the Garland issue becomes bigger than Garland himself, because it’s not just about him **it’s about Garland** ***plus*** **the offensive MAJOR ISSUES elsewhere on this roster.**

Kris Dunn is a fantastic defender, and Derrick Jones Jr. is a fantastic defender. Nobody is disputing that. But playoff basketball is all about exposing weaknesses, and offensively, both of those players allow defenses to cheat. Defenders routinely sag off Dunn and Jones Jr. to clog driving lanes, shrink the floor, and load up on the stars. That’s exactly what happened repeatedly throughout the season. **The Clippers often ran out lineups where opponents simply weren’t worried about enough offensive threats.**

# Meanwhile, Oklahoma City has players who defend at an elite level and shoot. San Antonio is acquiring players who defend and shoot. The modern NBA isn’t asking teams to choose between offense and defense anymore—the best teams have both.

What makes Nickeil Alexander-Walker the perfect Clipper is his rare blend of size, athleticism, and basketball IQ. He’s around 6’5” with great length, can defend multiple positions, initiate the offence, attack closeouts, make smart reads, and he has become a highly efficient killer from three - So we get the defence of a Dunn and the 3 and athleticism of DJJ BUT - **WE GET PLAYMAKING AND OFFBALL OFFENCE**













# Then you get to Michael Porter Jr., and this is where the argument becomes overwhelming. I am a huge huge fan = This dude is a cheat code for LAC if you realise what he does to Kawhi and Ben Mathurin.



**MPJ is one of the few players in basketball who can realistically drop 30 points while barely dribbling.** At 6’10”, he sees right over defenses, and his release point is almost impossible to contest. He’s a career elite three-point shooter despite taking incredibly difficult shots. **Defenders can play perfect defense and still get punished**. 

He did it so many times, over great great defenders. When he is hot you need a double team and if you have an aimbot like Kawhi in your team, its over.

**Think about what that does for Kawhi Leonard. Teams already fear Kawhi in the mid-range; now they have to worry about leaving a 6’10” sniper who shoots over everyone. The double teams get harder, the rotations get harder, and everything opens up.**

**But honestly, I think MPJ’s impact on Bennedict Mathurin might be even bigger. Mathurin wants to attack, get downhill, and put pressure on the rim. The biggest enemy of slashers is help defense, and MPJ completely destroys help defense because you simply cannot leave him. That means fewer bodies in the paint, fewer stunt defenders, and fewer rotations. Mathurin gets cleaner lanes and easier finishes.**

Now add Niederhauser to the mix. Suddenly you have a legitimate vertical threat at center

A player who can screen, dive, finish lobs, and protect the rim. MPJ stretches the defense horizontally, **Niederhauser stretches them vertically,** Mathurin attacks the gaps, Kawhi destroys teams from the mid-range, and Alexander-Walker is noit the best playmaker I get it but he is good enough. 4 assists per game is not bad, plus I really do believe a guy like Acuff or MKB can average over 4 assists per game.

If the future is Acuff Jr. or Mikel Brown Jr., you already have a young lead guard coming. If we are keeping Kawhi **AND ESPECIALLY IF WE ARE LOSING HIM** you need size around them. And if the future is championship basketball, you need more two way players like Alexander-Walker and more elite offensive weapons like Porter who can carry a team.

**Remember what happened whenever Kawhi was out?? there was no offence and it was our that kept us in games, our boys fought hard they really did but you need a killer offensive weapon - We only have one and thats Kawhi.**

  
Please read the thread before commenting **- #ClipperNation**

MPJ for Garland and Nickeil Alexander-Walker For Kriss Dunn and DJJ