21-year old power forward Blake Griffin did not play one minute as a rookie because of a fractured kneecap. The Clippers probably traded Marcus Camby not only to save money but to alleviate the headache they would have had next fall when they had to decide between him or Griffin to start at PF. Griffin in 6’10″, 251 pounds and he has the potential to be a much better scorer than Camby going forward. The Clippers really need him to be healthy all year long next year if they are going to improve to the point where they can make a playoff run.

Rookie power forward Blake Griffin will miss the first six weeks of the NBA season due to a stress fracture in his left kneecap. This is a huge blow to the Clippers who were depending on Griffin to be a force from day #1. Marcus Camby will be put back into the starting lineup until Griffin is ready to return. Craig Smith will also see a bump in playing time as he is a very, very underrated player. If anything were to happen to Camby or starting center Chris Kaman then Smith would finally get a chance to show what he can do as a starter. DeAndre Jordan will also see a increase in playing time as he will now be the #2 center behind Kaman until Griffin is ready to return. He has a nice upside too.

The three rookies on the Clippers have potential and they will likely garner more and more playing time as the season wears on. Shooting guard Eric Gordon definately has the biggest upside of this bunch. He has played in 14 games for the Clippers this season and he is averaging 15.2 minutes, 6.0 points, 1.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.9 steals per game. Mike Taylor is another guard with a nice skill set. He has played in 13 games for the Clippers this season and he is averaging 11.9 minutes, 4.0 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. Center DeAndre Jordan is a raw player who could take some time to develop. Jordan has only played in 3 games this season and he is averaging 2.5 minutes, 0.7 points and 0.7 rebounds.

The Clippers were very happy with their first round pick, forward, Al Thornton of Florida State. Thornton played a lot last season due to the injury to Elton Brand that caused him to miss most of last season. Thornton played in 79 games (31 starts) for the Clippers this season and he averaged 27.3 minutes, 12.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game. Thornton will have a big role in the future for the Los Angeles Clippers.

The Clippers might have found something in forward Nick Fazekas who they signed after he was released by the Mavericks and he played pretty well. Fazekas played in 22 games (0 starts) with the Clippers this season and he averaged 11.8 minutes, 4.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. He also shot a fantastic 57.1% from the floor for the Clippers. Fazekas played in 26 games (0 starts) for the Clippers & Mavericks this season and he averaged 10.3 minutes, 4.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. He shot 56.1% from the floor for the season. He might get an expanded role on the Clippers next season.

Forward Marcus Williams got a cup of coffee with the Clippers this season after he was cut loose by the Spurs. Williams played in 10 games (0 starts) for the Clippers this season and he averaged 3.4 minutes, 1.0 point, 1.2 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. Williams played in 11 games (0 starts) for the Spurs & Clippers this season and he averaged 3.3 minutes, 0.9 points, 1.1 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.

The Clippers like what they see out of their first round pick, forward Al Thornton. With Elton Brand out all season it opened up playing time for Thornton who will likely be a key part of this team’s future. Thornton has played in 54 games (14 starts) this season for the Clippers and he is averaging 23.6 minutes, 11.3 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. Thornton has hit 43.7% of his shots from the floor, 34.7% from three point range and 72.8% from the free throw line. Look for Thornton’s minutes to continue to increase as he’s played very well as of late.

The Clippers have signed forward Nick Fazekas to a 10-day contract. He played in 4 games (0 starts) this season for the Mavericks and he averaged 2.3 minutes, 1.0 point and 0.8 rebounds per game. The Clippers are so bad that Fazekas might actually get some playing time to show what he can do.

Rookie power forward Al Thornton was thrust into big minutes due to the injury to Elton Brand and he hasn’t responded well yet. Thornton has played in 23 games so far this season and he is averaging 16.8 minutes, 7.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game. His problem has been his shooting as he is only hitting 39.5% from the floor, 36% from three point range and 64.6% from the free throw line. He will likely only increase his playing time if his shooting improves soon.

It’s hard to give the Clippers rookies a letter grade because they didn’t get much playing time. Center Paul Davis played in 31 games this season and he averaged 5.8 minutes, 1.6 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game. He might wind up being a decent reserve for the Clippers in the future. Point guard Will Conroy played in 7 games and he averaged 7.3 minutes, 1.3 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Conroy didn’t score a point for the Clippers.

The Clippers are a veteran team with lofty goals so rookie center Paul Davis is unlikely to get much playing time the rest of the season. Davis has played in 19 games this season and is averaging 7.2 minutes, 1.8 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.

Rookie center Paul Davis isn’t getting much playing time, but that’s because the Clippers are a veteran team. Davis has played in 10 games and has averaged 6.4 minutes, 2.5 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.2 assists per game so far this season. Davis is hitting 57.9% of his shots from the floor so far this season.