Kobe Sanders has not filled up the box score through two games, but he has made his presence felt in the one area the Clippers needed most: defense.
A second-round pick in 2025, Sanders was one of the offseason curiosities after he dominated the 2026 Summer League. Two games into his second season, the questions are still there - can he sustain that level, slide backward, or keep building slowly? - but the early answer has been less about scoring and more about how hard he has made life for the other team.
The numbers on offense are modest at best. Sanders is averaging 3.5 points, shooting 33.3% from the field and 25.0% from beyond the arc.
He has also been passive offensively, letting the ball come to him instead of forcing the issue. Per NBA.com’s advanced stats, he has driven just twice in 38 minutes and taken only nine shots total, with four of them from three-point range.
That is a very different look from last season, when scoring was the strongest part of his game.
But Sanders has been everywhere defensively.
Against the Sacramento Kings, he made things miserable for Darius Acuff Jr., the highly regarded seventh overall pick who is known for scoring. Sanders spent multiple possessions on Acuff Jr., stayed attached to him, and challenged his attempts. The result was a rough night for the rookie: 5-24 from the field and four turnovers.
He carried that same edge into the Battle of L.A. and, even in just 19 minutes on the floor, had his moments guarding Luka Doncic. Sanders helped contribute to Doncic’s 8-21 shooting, and his work was part of why the Clippers were able to get a huge opening-night win over the Sacramento Kings. The Los Angeles Lakers nearly got a victory as well, with Sanders coming up clutch in his defensive assignments.
Among Clippers players averaging at least 15 minutes over the last two games, Sanders owns the team’s best defensive rating at 94.4. That fits the way he has played since the start of his second season: active, committed, and locked in on the little things.
He may not be scoring much, but Sanders is already showing exactly how valuable he can be. He’s a true team player, and that’s what the Clippers need to win games.
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