Los Angeles Clippers: Sean Kilpatrick could be a major steal
By Evan Massey
Signing Sean Kilpatrick could end up being a major steal for the Los Angeles Clippers.
Sean Kilpatrick is not a household name for NBA fans, but he has proven himself to be a very capable player throughout his career. It has been a rough season for the former Cincinnati Bearcats’ star, bouncing from the Brooklyn Nets to the Milwaukee Bucks before being waived. Now, he has been signed to a 10-day contract by the Los Angeles Clippers.
At 28 years of age, Kilpatrick has played for six different teams. He seemed to have found a home with the Nets before being released, which was a bit of a shock. His tenure with the Bucks did not go as planned, mainly due to the lack of a consistent role for him.
Looking ahead at his upcoming 10-day contract with the Clippers, there is a good chance that Kilpatrick might end up being a steal for L.A.
Last season with the Nets, Kilpatrick had a consistent role and found his comfort zone. He put together a big season, averaging 13.1 points per game to go along with 4.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists. Two years ago in his first season with the Nets, Kilpatrick averaged 13.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game over 23 appearances.
Needless to say, Kilpatrick knows how to score the basketball when he is given consistent minutes.
Los Angeles is a team looking to make a late-season run at the playoffs, even after trading away Blake Griffin. They have a winning record and show no signs of disappearing, but they need as much depth as possible. That is where Kilpatrick could come in handy.
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Obviously, there is no guarantee that Kilpatrick will last past his 10-day contract with the team. He will have to show Doc Rivers why he deserves to stay for the remainder of the year. In his first game with the Clippers again Brooklyn, Kilpatrick played 11 minutes and scored two points.
He played Tuesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans as well, playing just four minutes and scoring a bucket. Once again, his playing time doesn’t make him look like a serious rotational candidate yet, but he will continue getting used to his teammates and feeling more comfortable in Rivers’ system.
He hasn’t made a huge first impression, but he has seemed to fit well in the Clippers’ offense. As he gets more comfortable over the next few games, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Kilpatrick become more aggressive offensively and show why he belongs in L.A.
It will be interesting to see what the Clippers end up doing at the end of Kilpatrick’s 10-day deal. They could choose to move on from him, or they could keep him for a second 10-day contract.
Rivers has been known to get the best out of players. He has helped projects become valuable assets in the past. That is something that he could do for Kilpatrick and might be the reason that the team was interested in signing him in the first place.
Maybe this is a reach. Maybe Kilpatrick will never be able to break out with the Clippers and he will go away as quietly as he came in. Or, just maybe, Kilpatrick will find his comfort zone and become a valuable bench scorer for the Clippers.
No matter what ends up happening, Kilpatrick has enough talent and potential that teams keep bringing him in. There is no denying that he has the potential to be a dangerous scorer. If he can find his rhythm in Los Angeles, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him become a steal for the rest of the year.
Expect to see L.A. give Kilpatrick more opportunity in the next couple games. He will need to take advantage of any playing time he gets, which is something he has done in the past.
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Only time will tell whether Kilpatrick ends up living up to be a steal for the Clippers, but he certainly has an opportunity to become just that.