Rowan Kavner
LOS ANGELES – C.J. Wilcox is back with the Clippers after averaging 15.6 points per game with the NBA Development League’s Canton Charge.
Wilcox played seven games for the Charge, getting 31.8 minutes per game and scoring 21 points each of his last two outings, including one matchup with six made 3-pointers.
“It went well,” Wilcox said. “The team was great, the staff was great. It’s always good to play.”
Wilcox said he expects to return to the D-League soon, but head coach Doc Rivers said he liked having Wilcox around whenever possible. Wilcox said part of the advantage of getting recalled is to be around the team so he’s not completely disconnected.
This latest trip to Canton marked the fourth career D-League assignment for Wilcox and his second of the 2015-16 season. Wilcox also appeared in seven games for the Bakersfield Jam earlier this season, averaging 19.6 points per game during that stint.
In a combined 14 games played between the Jam and Charge this year, Wilcox is averaging 17.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game in the D-League.
“I’ve gone to two good situations where they’ve allowed me to come in and compete and try to get better,” Wilcox said. “They’ve done a good job doing that.”
Rivers said he likes Wilcox’s development, and he credited the job general manager Dave Wohl and assistant general manager Gary Sacks have done in pinpointing places for Wilcox to go in the D-League where he’ll play and the style of play can translate to what he would be doing with the Clippers.
“They’ve done a great job of making sure they run stuff that we run, even though it’s not our team,” Rivers said. “That’s the most difficult part, and teams have done that. We’re really happy with it.”
Wilcox said he thought what Canton ran was similar to what he was doing with the Clippers, even if the scheme isn’t exactly the same.
“But for me personally, they put me into spots where I’m comfortable and similar spots where I’d play here,” Wilcox said. “It’s been great.”
Wilcox tried to catch as many Clippers games as he could while he was with the Charge, though many times the Clippers games intersected with his Canton games. He said it’s a challenge to go up and down in the situation he’s in, but he’s glad he’s getting to play.
“I think that kind of takes away some of the stress that would normally be there, because you’re actually getting to play and run up and down the floor,” Wilcox said.
