Diamond

Stone

Stone, the 40th overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, has not played in the league since his rookie season.

He is from Milwaukee and is hopeful to go in the first round. Stone likely won’t be drafted at No. 10, but the Bucks could look to trade into the late first round. He played 22.6 minutes per game during his Freshman season at Maryland, averaging 12.5 points, 5.4 boards and 1.6 blocks.

“Very soft touch,” Connelly said. “Very strong player. So when he does get into the post, [he can] move guys around. He’s pretty skilled. There are different things he can do offensively that are pretty interesting. A kid his size when he really gets rolling has got really soft hands, which helps him catching the ball and finishing around the rim.” Stone averaged 12.5 points, 5.4 boards and 1.2 blocks during his freshman season at Maryland, and while his conditioning has improved, he’s still a borderline first-round pick. “I’ve gotten stronger and more explosive,” Stone said. “I’m feeling great about myself.”

The Clippers picked this up with an earlier trade with the Pelicans. On top of a cool name, Stone is a wide-bodied 6’10" center at 255 pounds. He has a wingspan of 7’3" with a 30-inch max vertical, so he has potential as a rim protector. The 19-year-old lived on post-ups down on the block, but he was solid as a shooter, too. He converted on 75.0 percent of his free throw attempts while hitting a respectable 36.4 percent of his jumpers — no 3-pointers, though. He won’t play much behind DeAndre Jordan and possibly another backup.

Stone will make roughly $543,000 during his rookie year, and both years of his contract are fully guaranteed. His fantasy value will be non-existent as long as DeAndre Jordan is healthy.

Stone currently projects as a borderline first round pick, and the Pistons may simply be bringing him in just to get a look. He should not be an option for Detroit with their 18th overall selection.

This was his best performance so far, though he did commit five turnovers with five personal fouls after picking up 10 fouls in just 18 minutes in his previous outing. The Clippers do need a backup center behind DeAndre Jordan, so maybe Stone can earn a few minutes in his rookie season. Fantasy owners can safely ignore the 19-year-old big man for now.

He’s projected to go at the end of the first round, so the Nuggets probably won’t be investing their seventh or 15th picks on him. Stone played one season at Maryland, averaging 12.4 points, 5.5 boards, 1.6 blocks and 1.5 turnovers on 56.8 percent from the field and 75.0 percent from the line.

Stone was selected with the No. 40 pick in this year’s draft, and this performance highlights how raw he is at age 19. The Clippers don’t have much frontcourt depth at the moment, but there’s still no reason to think Stone will emerge with a fantasy-relevant role as a rookie.

The No. 40 pick in the draft has an uphill battle to crack the rotation, despite the Clippers’ lack of depth behind DeAndre Jordan. We’ll let you know if he does anything to warrant fantasy attention.