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Los Angeles Clippers: An Early Look At The New Additions

By Cameron Stewart

Jul 21, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers players pose with jerseys at press conference at Staples Center. From left: Branden Dawson (22), DeAndre Jordan (6), Austin Rivers (25), coach Doc Rivers and Josh Smith (5), Cole Aldrich (45), Paul Pierce (34) and Wesley Johnson (33). Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 21, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers players pose with jerseys at press conference at Staples Center. From left: Branden Dawson (22), DeAndre Jordan (6), Austin Rivers (25), coach Doc Rivers and Josh Smith (5), Cole Aldrich (45), Paul Pierce (34) and Wesley Johnson (33). Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jul 21, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers players pose with jerseys at press conference at Staples Center. From left: Branden Dawson (22), DeAndre Jordan (6), Austin Rivers (25), coach Doc Rivers and Josh Smith (5), Cole Aldrich (45), Paul Pierce (34) and Wesley Johnson (33). Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

Cole Aldrich, Luc Mbah a Moute, Pablo Prigioni, Branden Dawson

Other than Pierce, Stephenson, Smith, and Johnson, the other new additions don’t figure to have much of a role as long as everyone is healthy.

Pablo Prigioni has appeared in one game and only played seven minutes. He’s the third-string point guard behind Chris Paul and Austin Rivers. Even if Paul or Rivers were to be injured, it’s possible that Jamal Crawford could play some point guard as he has in the past. Prigioni’s 38 years old and this could be his last run in the NBA.

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He’s a crafty point guard and can be effective at making opponents uncomfortable with his style of play. Prigioni likes to defend for the full length of the court and will has a full bag of tricks offensively and defensively that is hard for opponents to get used to. Austin Rivers has been excellent defensively so far, which is rough for the chances that Prigioni earns playing time.

Cole Aldrich had a quietly successful two seasons with the New York Knicks before signing with the Clippers in the offseason. He’s appeared in only seven minutes this season and his backup center role has been given to Josh Smith. Smith hasn’t played well and the small-ball bench lineup has looked pretty bad at times. If this continues, expect the Clippers to play a safer, more traditional bench lineup in which Smith and Pierce go back to their power forward and small forward positions while Aldrich is inserted with the bench.

Luc Mbah a Moute was a late signing before the season and has seen his role go from someone who started 61 games last year, albeit with the Sixers, to barely leaving the bench with the Clippers. Mbah a Moute will be limited to garbage time as he played 25 seconds or less in two of the three games in which he has appeared, and the rest of his minutes were played in the team’s 16 point win against the Mavericks, which is their biggest win of the season.

Next: NBA Power Rankings: Week 2

When Branden Dawson was drafted, he was coming into a situation in which he was looking at playing right away for a championship contender. The Clippers took an opportunity to buy a late draft pick to select a player who produced at a big-time level at the collegiate level and can play multiple frontcourt positions.

The Clippers had a mid-level exception and that was about it. They used that mid-level exception to bring in Paul Pierce, who is playing power forward, and brought in Cole Aldrich and Josh Smith to gain some depth up front. Dawson has yet to appear in a game and will probably play more games in the D-League than with the Clippers this season.

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