Reggie Jackson will be the Clippers‘ starting point guard when the season opens, sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Jackson won a training camp battle with John Wall, who signed with L.A. in July after agreeing to a buyout with the Rockets.
After sitting out all of last season, Wall isn’t expected to be used in both games of back-to-backs this year, according to Haynes’ sources. Although Wall looked good during preseason games, Jackson has the advantage of being with the team for the last two-plus seasons.
Haynes adds that Clippers coach Tyronn Lue didn’t commit to either Wall on Jackson on Friday, telling reporters, “Whoever’s best with the starters, whoever’s best with the guys off the bench. It could always change. Right now, it’s just whatever’s best for the team.”
There’s more from Los Angeles:
- The Clippers plan to be cautious with Wall and Kawhi Leonard as they enter a season marked by high expectations, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Leonard, who missed last season while recovering from knee surgery, played 33 combined minutes in two preseason contests. “He feels good, that’s most important,” Lue said. “It’s going to take some time though. We know he’s a great player and he expects excellence right away just like John, but it takes time and so we’re going to be patient with the process and not going to overthink it, not going to overdo it and so our biggest thing is just make sure those guys are healthy.”
- The Lakers tried using Russell Westbrook off the bench Friday night, but the experiment was interrupted by a hamstring injury, per Sam Amick and Jovan Buha of The Athletic. New head coach Darvin Ham wants to stagger Westbrook’s and LeBron James‘ time on the court, and he says Westbrook hasn’t objected to the move.
- Matt Ryan‘s three-point shooting helped him earn a roster spot with the Lakers, according to Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register. Ryan connected at 37.5% from long distance during the preseason and hit 6-of-9 in a 20-point game against the Warriors. “Speechless,” Ryan wrote on Twitter after learning that he had made the team. “All I can say is, LETS GO LAKESHOW!! Whether it’s a day, a month, or a year, you’ll get my absolute best every single day. The real work starts now! Thank you @Lakers for this special opportunity.”
Anybody else think teams are too cautious with their players? I mean Leonard hasn’t played in so long shouldn’t he be itching to get back out on the court? Wall missed all last season.. why can’t he play in back to back games? Seems ridiculous to me
If you bench Westbrook, the average per point per dollar per game will be
1 point per game = $5 million? Hit a 3-pointer = $15 million?
the most expensive point in the history of nba?
A compensation policy that assigns different rates of pay based on production. This type of policy is often called production rate.
The normal people can’t even make $5 million in the whole life.
I have no clue what formula you used to come up with that math. It really doesn’t matter what they’re paying Westbrick for what though, it’s all a sunk cost. When he’s on the court he makes the Lakers worse, so at this point they should just keep him off the court.
wait, i thought we were all millionaires in your reality?
Wall does make sense coming off the bench.
He’s use to being a ball dominate player and getting to his spots on the court or dishing to guys to score, not to sure how he would’ve done on the court in an off the ball role.
My only thing with the clippers is how small they are. Assuming the starting line up is Reggie PG Kawhi Morris and Zubac that works and makes sense, but off the bench you have Wall Norman Powell, Luke Kennard, RoCo, Batum and lack another centre. Then behind that it’s Coffey, Boston Jr and Mann just more guards and wings.
Starting Powell over Morris just means you have Kawhi or PG at the 4 which works I guess. Then Morris moves to the bench but he’s still probably not ideal at the 5 spot so who do you play in those minutes Batum?
Idk I’d like to see them trade out a guy or 2 and look for another big man. Myles Turner would make a bunch of sense. Pacers beginning the rebuild, him on an expiring deal. He can space the floor, contest shots, block shots and give them good minutes.
In order to get him you probably have to give up someone in that 16-10 mil range (Morris, Powell, Covington, Kennard, Jackson) and then one of the younger guys (Mann, Boston Jr) and then maybe even a second round pick or two.
Draymond could be another guy possible available but he would be even more expensive in a deal probably.
Even going back to FA and getting a guy like Tristan Thompson or Boogie Cousins wouldn’t be a bad idea in my opinion.
The Warriors just won with the whole thing with one “centre”
Technically they had Looney Bjilica and Wiseman who were all listed as centres.
Although Wiseman was out and Bjilica is mainly a career 4, Green could also play the 5.
In comparison Zubac and Looney close enough to same level, but Morris and Draymond aren’t really close, Batum is a career 3 now playing as a undersized 3-4-5 so hard to compare him at the 5 to Bjilica who is 6’10.
Despite Zubac is nice but in playoffs he can’t score or defend really as he is less athletic in comparison to Looney who is solid and especially inferior to someone like R.Williams. Proof is Hartenstein last year who typically would be on court in 4th qt over Zubac. Someone like Myles Turner would make LAC so much better. Tristan or Boogie are good for 10min but not for 4th qt.
“Matt Ryan‘s three-point shooting helped him earn a roster spot with the Lakers, according to Kyle Goon of The Orange County Register.”
Really? I thought it was because he was a good rebounder. Thank God for Kyle Goon,