ORLANDO – A determined Brice Johnson didn’t feel like himself in his Summer League debut Saturday, declaring that version of himself wouldn’t show up again.
Twenty-four hours later, he backed up his talk.
Brice Johnson went 11-for-18 with a team-high 23 points and 10 rebounds, as the Clippers won two of the first three quarters before a 17-6 run from the Thunder ultimately led to Oklahoma City’s 81-72 win.
“I felt a lot better today than I did yesterday,” Johnson said. “I knew what to expect. Yesterday was kind of tough because it was my first time playing since the national championship game, so it was kind of tough at first and trickled on throughout the game.”
Johnson said he felt he played scared Saturday when he scored six points and added six rebounds, something he knows he can’t do to thrive at the NBA level. He answered by scoring in a variety of ways against an even bigger Oklahoma City group.
“I decided to lock down and said, ‘Hey, I’m a better player than that,” Johnson said. “They didn’t draft me for no reason, so I’ve got to go out there and show them the reason they drafted me. That’s just the biggest motivation going out there. I need to prove to myself I can play in this league.”
Johnson showed the traits that made him special at North Carolina – all while his former college coach, Roy Williams, and Johnson’s father were both in attendance – getting out in transition and throwing down dunks while also blocking two shots.
But Johnson showed more than an inside offensive presence. Throughout the pre-draft process, he set out to show teams he could shoot from the perimeter, something he didn’t have to do much of as a Tar Heel.
The first-round pick calmly knocked down multiple shots Sunday toward the top of the key around 18 feet out.
“I know I can shoot the ball,” Johnson said. “They were laying off, so I’m going to knock it down. One time I heard somebody say, ‘We ain’t worried about that.’ I was like, ‘All right, go ahead and don’t worry about it then. I’ll keep shooting and keep knocking it down.’”
Clippers Summer League head coach Brendan O’Connor said Johnson even looks comfortable from behind the 3-point line, so a step inside isn’t a problem.
“I think early in the game yesterday he was just a little bit caught with the speed and the pace and all that stuff,” O’Connor said. “He adjusted pretty quickly.”
The Clippers led, 66-64, late, when the offense suddenly went cold, allowing Oklahoma City to tear ahead.
Still, it was a vast improvement all around for the Clippers’ Summer League team from their debut Saturday, despite the challenge posed inside by Oklahoma City bigs Dakari Johnson and Mitch McGary, who each weigh around 255 pounds.
The Thunder bigs were a load to deal with inside for the Clippers’ rookies, leading to 10 fouls for second-round pick Diamond Stone and seven for Johnson, and veteran Greg Stiemsma also picked up seven fouls.
“They were going up against some men down there,” O’Connor said.
Johnson knew what he was in for, as he had played against both of them before. He said he enjoys that challenge, even if he knows he still has work to do.
“It was a battle down there for all of us – we all went at each other,” Johnson said. “I just know one day when I get a little bit bigger and stronger, it’ll be an even better battle.”
NOTES:
- Guard Andrew Andrews started for the injured C.J. Wilcox (hand) and played a team-high 36 minutes, scoring 12 points with 10 rebounds and five assists.
- Royce O’Neale finished second in scoring on the Clippers behind Johnson with 13 points, also adding four rebounds and three steals.
- Second-round pick David Michineau dished out a team-high nine assists
- The Clippers will look for their first Summer League win Tuesday against the Knicks.