The Clippers recently signed 7-foot-5 giant Jamarion Sharp, fueling speculation that NBA rivals are desperate to neutralize San Antonio's generational superstar by matching his unprecedented physical scale.
A little over a month ago, we made the case that Victor Wembanyama was forcing the NBA to think bigger.
The Los Angeles Clippers apparently didn't get the memo.
They took it literally.
Los Angeles signed 7-foot-5 center Jamarion Sharp to a two-way contract last month, adding a player who is officially listed one inch taller than the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama. The New York Post connected that move directly to the San Antonio Spurs superstar Tuesday, framing Sharp as another potential answer to the matchup problem Wembanyama has created.
Let's get one thing out of the way:
There's no evidence the Clippers signed Sharp because of Wembanyama.
Sharp's agent told HoopsHype's Michael Scotto about the two-way agreement on July 21, and the immediate basketball explanation was considerably simpler.
Los Angeles added another developmental option to its frontcourt after Sharp had just produced an impressive Summer League showing with Toronto.
But the Wembanyama connection is still awfully interesting.
Sharp isn't simply a 7-foot-5 novelty. He spent last season with the Texas Legends and earned G League Defensive Player of the Year honors after averaging 4.1 blocks in 39 appearances. He also averaged 7.5 rebounds while converting 73.5 percent of his field-goal attempts.
Then came another impressive audition in Las Vegas.
Sharp averaged 7.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.8 blocks across five Summer League appearances for Toronto while shooting 71.4 percent from the field.
None of that makes him a "Wemby stopper."
Actually ... reducing Wembanyama's advantage to his height misses much of what makes him such a difficult matchup.
Wembanyama can handle the ball, create his own shot and attack defenses from multiple levels at 7-foot-4. Sharp has yet to appear in a regular-season NBA game. Expecting a player on a two-way contract to neutralize one of basketball's premier superstars simply because he's an inch taller would be quite the leap.
But Sharp does represent another fascinating data point in a trend we've already examined.
Teams across the NBA have spent this offseason investing in frontcourt size, and now one of San Antonio's Western Conference opponents has used a two-way slot on a 7-foot-5 reigning G League Defensive Player of the Year.
Maybe Sharp spends considerably more time in the G League than guarding Wembanyama next season. His contract certainly doesn't guarantee him a place in the Clippers' rotation.
That's what makes the move interesting rather than definitive.
A month after we wondered whether Wembanyama was forcing the NBA to think bigger, Los Angeles added a center even taller than him.
The Clippers may not have done it specifically because of Wembanyama ... but they certainly won't be complaining about the extra inch if Sharp ever gets the assignment.
