After the Oklahoma City Thunder exercised their rights to swap first-round picks, the Los Angeles Clippers are set to select 30th overall in the 2025 NBA Draft. While they are far out of range from landing top freshmen like Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper, quality talents have been selected late in the draft before.
With the NBA pre-draft process underway, the Clippers have had the chance to work out and get eyes on several prospects, with one of those being All-American forward Johni Broome. While he didn’t walk away with the honor, he was at one point the favorite to win National Player of the Year over Cooper Flagg. So if the Clippers landed him, what could they be getting?
Strengths:
While Broome put up flashy performances at Auburn offensively with 34 points against Alabama and 31 points against Georgia, where Broome brings the most value is defensively and as a rebounder. Standing at 6-foot-10, Broome plays well above his size in terms of physicality, posting a 14.1 offensive rebound percentage and leading the SEC with 10.8 rebounds per game.
As mentioned, his defense should be his calling card at the next level. He had three or more blocks in 14 games this past season and recorded two or more steals on nine occasions. Offense skill-wise, he’s a talented passer who can set his teammates up from all types of angles. Scoring-wise, he’s at his best at the rim, whether that be attacking the basket or using his touch.
Weaknesses:
In terms of what holds Broome back as an NBA prospect, the number one concern is his lack of athleticism. With teams in the NBA playing at a faster pace than ever, Broome isn’t much of a transition threat, nor is he quick enough to get by his opponents. Therefore, Broome likely will see success as a pick-and-roll man, where he can look to impact down low.
Furthermore, his lack of a jump shot will hold him back since he doesn’t have the size or athleticism to compensate. While he had several performances this past season where he connected on multiple three-pointers, he averaged less than a make per game at a 27.8% rate.
Conclusion:
When it comes down to it, Broome still is more NBA-ready than most prospects in this draft. If the Clippers are looking to add more depth behind Ivica Zubac, Broome would be an intriguing option, especially if he starts to develop his jump shot more.
Given his size and rebounding ability, Broome could carve out a role similar to NBA Champion and Golden State Warriors center Kevon Looney, with how he changes the game for Golden State on the offensive glass.
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