NBA Draft
L.A. Clippers select C.J. Wilcox at No. 28
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
With the 28th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft the Los Angeles Clippers drafted Washington shooting guard C.J. Wilcox.
Wilcox is a 23-year old, 6-foot-5 senior who averaged 18.3 points a game on 45.3 percent shooting from the field and 52.2 percent from three-point range for the Huskies.
The Clippers already boast two guards at the same position in their rotation in J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford, but shooting is a premium in the NBA — and Wilcox may be one of the top shooters in the draft.
Los Angeles hopes to make a jump this coming season, without the distraction of Donald Sterling hanging over their playoff push — although the ownership issue has yet to be truly resolved.
Steve Ballmer is likely to be eventually approved as the team’s new owner, but Sterling is embroiled in a probate battle with his wife Shelly Sterling.
The Clippers fell in the second round, losing in six games to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Whether or not Wilcox can crack the rotation as a rookie remains to be seen. As a senior, he’s coming in more polished than many of the younger first-round picks — but then the Clippers may not have a lot of available minutes for him in the rotation.
