Clippers Rookie Could Have a Bigger Role Than Expected to Start the Season

Second-round picks do not usually walk into real minutes in their first NBA season, but the Los Angeles Clippers have enough injuries up front that forward Baba Miller may get that chance right away.

Head coach Tyronn Lue said Saturday that Miller will be the third center, on top of his power forward duties, while center Yanic Konan Niederhauser recovers, as Law Murray of The Athletic reported after he asked Lue about the position.

That is a lot to ask of a rookie the Clippers took with the 36th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft out of Cincinnati, but he has done enough this fall to earn the look.

Miller saved his best game for the preseason finale on Wednesday, Oct. 14, when the Clippers beat the Denver Nuggets 122-110 at Intuit Dome.

He scored 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting off the bench, made both of his 3-point tries and grabbed five rebounds in 21 minutes, and the Clippers were plus-14 while he was on the floor even though he picked up six fouls.

The team showed early that it liked him, when it signed Miller to a four-year standard contract with the first two years guaranteed, according to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto.

Speaking with reporters before Summer League, Miller said "I came here, worked out, got to meet the front office, and I feel like I was just really happy that I was able to go somewhere where I feel like they understand what I can bring to the team and who I can become eventually, and they believe in me."

This role exists mostly because of the injury list, since Konan Niederhauser had surgery in March for a Lisfranc injury in his right foot and the Clippers will start the year without him.

Forward Brandon Ingram is also out with a heel and Achilles issue, while guard Max Strus is sidelined after a partial tear in his right foot during the preseason.

Lue also said Saturday that center Isaiah Jackson will begin the season as the starter, so Miller will not have to carry the starting job and will instead soak up minutes at two spots, which is more than most people expected from a second-round rookie in the summer.

This is a good spot for both sides, because the Clippers need cheap young players to hit after an offseason in which the league took away five first-round picks, and real value from a pick in the 30s means more to this team than it would to most.

Miller is 6-foot-11 and can play both forward and center, which gives Lue room to mix and match until the roster gets healthy.

The fouls are the one thing to clean up, because six fouls in 21 minutes will not work once the games count.

The Clippers open the season against the Sacramento Kings at Intuit Dome on Wednesday, Oct. 21, before visiting the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday, Oct. 23.

My guess is that Miller plays his way into a steady rotation spot over those two games and holds on to it after Konan Niederhauser comes back, as long as he keeps the fouls down.