14 Days of Mocking: #12 L.A. Clippers

This is the first pick of the back to back picks that the L.A. Clippers have. They acquired this pick in the blockbuster trade with the Detroit Pistons. The Clippers sent Blake Griffin to the “Motor City” in exchange for Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, this protected-first round pick, along with a 2019 second round pick. L.A. definitely won this trade, even though they got rid of a superstar forward, they acquired picks. This allows them to progress in their much-needed rebuild after they traded CP3 to the Rockets this offseason.

This again is a very useful pick, because it is back to back and they have multiple holes. So it does not matter who they take first or who they take second, but they will certainly hold on to these two picks and not trade them.  With Avery Bradley becoming a free agent here they will likely get a shooting guard who can fill that role, instead of signing Bradley to a max contract, which he will probably be getting.

With the 12^thpick in the 2018 NBA Draft, the L.A. Clippers select…

Miles Bridges. Bridges were the number one scoring option for the Michigan State Spartans. He averaged 17.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in his sophomore campaign. Bridges were ranked higher in most mock drafts last year, however, er he decided to remain in college and it hurt his draft stock. He stands at 6’7 and weighs 230 lbs. His listed position is a shooting guard but with this size, he can play as a small forward. Adding a 7’0 wingspan to that frame and his elite athleticism Miles is able to guard just about any position on the court. Bridges also shot 37.5% from deep in his two years in college. This shows the amount of potential he has on both ends of the court. I think Miles has one of the highest ceilings in this class and has the drive to be great. If there is any prospect in this class that will slip through the cracks and pull a Donovan Mitchell and has a breakout season, it is Bridges.

Comparison: Justice Winslow 

Bridges and Winslow share a lot of the same physical attributes, along with play style. Both are strong and show a lot of defensive potentials. Both with long arms and solid shooting come into the league as a classic “tweener” (not having a true position) but show potential to be great small forwards.