Los Angeles Clippers swap Jamil Wilson for Tyrone Wallace

After recent injuries decimated their guard depth, the Los Angeles Clippers were forced to cut Jamil Wilson (despite his early season success) in favor of Tyrone Wallace to remain under the luxury tax.

Jamil Wilson appeared to be on his way to earning a full-time NBA job in his first year with the Los Angeles Clippers.

After a dominant Summer League, Wilson continued to scorch the nets from 3-point range in the G League and then in the NBA. Wilson played in 15 games and started 10 of them.

While he sat on the bench to start January, his stellar shooting and solid overall play might have been enough to earn him a guaranteed contract.

Unfortunately, injuries once again got in the way for the Clippers. Despite Wilson’s play exceeding expectations, Los Angeles had to move in a different direction, as reported by ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski:

Given his success with the Clippers this year, Jamil Wilson will probably not remain unsigned for long. His replacement, Tyrone Wallace, thankfully fills some areas of need for the team. Wilson could still potentially be scooped up on a 10-day contract if the Clippers have space later on in the year. For now, however, the team’s desperate need for guard depth and desire to stay under the luxury tax left Wilson out of a job.

Farewell, Jamil Wilson

The Los Angeles Clippers were forced to make a difficult choice after once again falling victim to the injury bug. Austin Rivers went down with an Achilles strain on Dec. 30, and Milos Teodosic left the game on Jan. 4 with plantar fasciitis. The team had to either enter the luxury tax or waive a player to sign a guard to fill in for the team.

Sadly for Jamil Wilson, the Clippers opted to skirt the tax and waive one of the team’s most successful rookies in recent years. One could argue that the team might have wanted a more diverse skill-set from their two-way contract player, as Wilson is basically only useful as a shooter.

That being said, Wilson is an extraordinarily useful shooter as a stretch-4. A remarkable 77.8 percent of his shots came from deep, and he knocked them down at a 42.9 percent clip. Despite entering the league as a 27-year-old rookie, Wilson proved that his shooting touch alone makes him a valuable NBA player. If the Clippers do not end up bringing him back, any playoff contender in need of shooting should at least give him a chance at a 10-day contract after Jan. 15.

Welcome, Tyrone Wallace

One person’s loss is another person’s gain, and that proved true for Tyrone Wallace. The Los Angeles Clippers brought him up from the Agua Caliente Clippers in the wake of Jamil Wilson’s departure.

The 60th overall pick from the 2016 NBA Draft was quickly thrown into the fire, as Wallace played nearly 32 minutes in his first NBA game. He chipped in 13 points and three steals in a blowout loss with a final margin that looked far better due to the team’s success in garbage time.

At 6’5″ with a 6’10” wingspan and solid athletic tools, Wallace is a solid defensive guard capable of switching onto any player on the perimeter. He also showed some decent proficiency in the pick-and-roll with the Agua Caliente Clippers, where he averaged 22.8 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game in 23 games with the team.

Unlike Wilson, however, Wallace does not have a 3-point shot; he shot just 27.5 percent from deep in the G League after shooting 24.2 percent from beyond the arc in the D-League and 29.2 percent from long range in college.

Next: 2017-18 Week 12 NBA Power Rankings

The Los Angeles Clippers have been dogged by injuries all season long. Their latest outbreak of injuries forced them to cut one of the team’s greatest success stories. However, his replacement fills two areas of need (defense and ball-handling) in a way that Jamil Wilson could not. Tyrone Wallace can hopefully follow in Wilson and C.J. Williams‘ footsteps to be the third great two-way contract for the Clippers this season.