Brice Johnson

With several younger and seemingly higher-upside big men available at the 25th overall pick in the June draft, the Clippers instead opted for a safety and stability with their selection of Johnson, a polished four-year college player out of North Carolina. The 6-foot-11 big man was one of the country's top stars during his senior season, averaging 17.0 points and 10.5 rebounds while shooting 61.4 percent from the field and 78.3 from the charity stripe. The latter figure has to be a particularly welcome sight for the Clippers, who have had to witness years of poor free-throw shooting from their long-time frontcourt starters, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. Johnson is no threat to encroach on the starting role of either player, but he could eventually settle in as a rotation player on a Clippers team that frequently had small forwards masquerading as stretch fours when Griffin missed most of last season due to a quad injury. Johnson projects as more of a glass crasher than a rim protector in the pro ranks, but with Jordan anchoring the back end, any rejections the rookie provides would be gravy. It may take until next season before Johnson gets a real chance at landing a rotation role, however, as he's expected to be sidelined through at least the first month of the season while recovering from a herniated disc he sustained in training camp. In addition to Jordan and Griffin, Johnson will also find himself behind veterans Brandon Bass and Marreese Speights on the depth chart, though the latter two players won't represent long-term roadblocks to the 22-year-old's playing time.