Clippers Predicted to Draft Noah Penda, Who Has Been Compared to Nicolas Batum originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
This offseason, the Los Angeles Clippers may need to replace a veteran who has spent a lot of time in their organization.
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After spending at least part of each of the last five season with the Clippers, Nicolas Batum now finds himself with options this offseason as a player option for the 2025-26 is all that remains on his contract.
He has also said that next season may be his last.
Luckily for the Clippers, there may be a replacement for Batum available when they make their pick in the first round of this year’s draft.
Los Angeles Clippers forward Nicolas BatumWendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman predicted the Clippers would select Le Mans forward Noah Penda in round one and listed Batum as his pro comparison.
Like Batum, the thing that really stands out about Penda is his ability on the defensive end of the floor.
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He’s a very good defender and averaged 1.4 steals per game this past season.
He also has the ability to contribute in other ways. He grabbed 5.1 rebounds per game, including 1.5 on the offensive end of the floor, and dished out 2.6 assists.
The big concern will be his ability to score. He averaged 10.2 points per game and wasn’t particularly efficient. He shot just 30.4% from three and 69.3% from the free throw line.
Batum didn’t have that issue as he shot 36.9% from three as a rookie.
If the Clippers believe Penda can be a true three-and-D wing, he could be a very good fit for them as they attempt to keep their defense among the best in the league and get some more output from outside.
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He could give the Clippers some depth at forward early in his career before potentially claiming a starting job in a couple of seasons as the roster loses some of its older players.
It all depends on how he develops on the offensive end, but if the Clippers could turn this year’s first rounder into another Batum, they’d probably be pretty happy with that outcome.
Related: $25.2 Million Center Name-Dropped as Possible Clippers Free Agent Target
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.