Redrafting The 1st Round Of The 2014 NBA Draft
28. Los Angeles Clippers: Noah Vonleh, Indiana
Original selection: 9th by the Charlotte Hornets
2015-16 statistics: 3.6 PPG 4.1 RPG 0.3 BPG 9.62 PER
Noah Vonleh is the definition of a team falling in love with a prospect because of his upside and potential. Vonleh declared for the draft after his freshman season at Indiana after looking like a guy who could be a nightly double-double threat.
Instead, his rookie season came and went, averaging just 10.4 minutes per game. Charlotte didn’t seem to like the delayed progression that Vonleh was showing and decided to include him in the trade along with Gerald Henderson for Portland’s Nicolas Batum last summer.
There were many questions to why the Hornets would move on so quickly from their former lottery pick to acquire Batum, who is approaching the last year on his current contract.
If Vonleh was taken by the Clippers, both sides would benefit. The Clippers lack of depth on the bench was an obvious problem heading into the 2014-15 season and played a big role in them fizzing out in the playoffs.
Learning from the frontcourt duo of Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan along with playing in an offense operated by point guard Chris Paul could’ve had Vonleh’s career looking ever so bright.
Next: No. 29