OCEANSIDE — After starting on the road, the San Diego Clippers (2-1) returned home and defeated the Salt Lake City Stars (1-1) 113-106. As they continue building chemistry and learning how to play with each other, there are some glaring takeaways. But before then, it’s important to note that this team seems to enjoy playing with each other and there’s a lot of personality on this roster, which bodes well for the franchise.
Continuing Rookie Development on Yanic Konan Neiderhouser
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Firstly, as both the San Diego side and the Los Angeles side continue to develop rookie Yanic Konan Niederhouser, they must focus on making sure he can stay in the game and out of foul trouble. He only played just under 13 minutes of action tonight, committing six fouls — three of those early. He did however finish with 12 points and four rebounds.
“He’s just has to be a little more careful in terms of length, especially on drives,” said Paul Hewitt, head coach of the Clippers. “That’s a point of emphasis here in the NBA. Taking a guy out of his drive path (is the goal) and so he picked up a few fouls like that, but overall I want him to be aggressive — obviously has to be smarter.”
Neiderhouser has only played three games in his NBA G League career, and there’s obviously going to be an adjustment period. As far as scoring and rebounding he has done well. It’ll be important for him to actually stay on the floor so he can continue to get better.
Balanced Team Scoring
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There were three scorers with 20 plus points: Taylor Funk, Jahmyl Telfort, and Patrick Baldwin Jr. They each had 20 points, while Funk led all scoring with 22. Last season, sometimes scoring felt rough and unless the main core were hitting, the offensive side of the ball was slow. This season, each player has something to contribute, and they aren’t afraid to share the ball.
When asked about his big night, Funk said he’ll keep letting it fly. “It’s rare that a G League team is going to be able to pass the ball like this. We have really good wings, and really good guards that took advantage of that,” he said.
Funk continued, “It’s early. We still don’t have the chemistry down to the fullest. I think the rotations are still getting mixed around but it’s a really good win.”
The Calmness Of A Poised Backcourt
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When any team has a guard who knows how to control the pace, the feel, the way the game flows — it settles the team down and makes the game simpler. For the Clippers, that calming presence was through Jason Preston. He already has experience in the Clippers system as he played under Hewitt during his time with the team when they were located in Ontario. Preston finished with a near triple-double of 14 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.
“That’s a lot of NBA experience (with Preston). That’s a lot of reps at point guard. Even when we go on runs, we have these guards on the floor that can slow it down, and you know, keep us in rhythm,” said Baldwin Jr.
Funk added, “Just a lot of trust at that position right now, (the coaches) don’t even have to say too much on the sidelines. They’re veterans in this game (also referring to TyTy Washington Jr.), so we trust them and they trust us.”
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Moving on from this game, the Clippers will rematch the Stars on Sunday night, where the theme will be Military Night for members of the armed forces. There will be an auction where fans can potentially win game worn jerseys as well as other things.
Tip-off will be at 6pm at Frontwave Arena.
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