Clippers draft forward Brice Johnson, trade for Diamond Stone and David Michineau

With Blake Griffin on the mend and with potential personnel losses looming due to free agency, the Los Angeles Clippers added depth to their frontline, selecting University of North Carolina forward Brice Johnson with the 25th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft held in Brooklyn, New York.

“Not a lot of people get an opportunity to play in the NBA, so I’m really thankful for it,” Johnson said. “I think I will fit in with this team well with the style they play and the way I played in college. I think I can come in there and be successful.”

Johnson, 21, was a consensus First Team All-American at North Carolina his senior season. The 6-foot-10 inch Johnson is a good athlete who averaged 17.0 points, 10.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 40 games (all starts), helping lead the Tar Heels to the NCAA National Championship Game.

Given his potential as a weak side shotblocker,  Johnson could crack the Clippers' rotation in a backup role.

Johnson led the ACC and was fifth in the nation with a UNC-record 23 double-doubles. Johnson had career averages of 11.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 148 career games (80 starts) in his four years in Chapel Hill.

The South Carolina native was the Gatorade South Carolina Basketball Player of the Year his junior and senior years at Edisto High School. In addition to basketball, he was a two-time state champion in the high jump and played a year as a wide receiver on the football team.

In addition to taking Johnson with their first round choice, the Clippers did some wheeling-and-dealing in the second round, trading the rights of University of Kansas forward Cheick Diallo to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for the rights to French point guard David Michineau and University of Maryland center Diamond Stone.

Diallo was picked with the 33rd pick, while Michineau was the 39th pick and Stone the 40th pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Michineau, 22, has spent the last three seasons with ES Chalon-Sur-Saone in France. In three seasons with Chalon, he averaged 4.2 points and 1.3 assists while shooting 41 percent from the field in 74 games (five starts). Michineau, 6”4”, 180 pounds, is a French native.

Stone, 19, played one season at the University of Maryland, where he was named the AP Big Ten Newcomer in 2016. The Milwaukee native averaged 12.5 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 35 games (all starts), helping lead the Terrapins to the Sweet Sixteen.

Stone, 6’11”, 255 pounds, was a member of the gold-medal winning 2014 U-17 World Championship Team and the 2014 FIBA Americas U16 Championship. Rated a consensus top 10 player coming out of Dominican High School, Stone was a McDonald’s All-American.

By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services