- Clippers owner Steve Ballmer unveiled his new streaming service tonight, per Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. ClipperVision is available without a cable subscription and will show 74 of the team’s 82 games. Six live stream options are offered for each game, and one includes former NBA players providing guest commentary.
Kawhi Leonard made his long-awaited return in the Clippers‘ season-opening victory over the Lakers, recording 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists and a steal in 21 minutes of action as a reserve. After the game, the star forward explained why he liked the idea of coming off the bench, writes Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.
“One scenario with me starting, I would have been sitting like 35 minutes real time,” Leonard said. “That’s way too long. So I just thought this was the best situation. But we’ll see how it goes moving forward.”
“I did this before,” Leonard added. “This is how I started my career. That’s how I approached it mentally. Act like I was in foul trouble, and once I check in in the second quarter, it’s time to play basketball.”
Leonard said he plans to gradually ramp up his minutes to strengthen his surgically-repaired ACL, and will likely sit out one game of back-to-backs. According Youngmisuk, Leonard also said he’ll “probably” return to the starting lineup once he feels comfortable playing around 35 minutes per night again — he averaged 34.1 MPG in 2020/21.
Here’s more on the Clippers:
- Leonard and John Wall will sit out Saturday’s contest at Sacramento due to “return from injury rehabilitation (rest),” tweets Youngmisuk. The news was expected, as it’s the first of a back-to-back. The Clippers face the Suns in their home opener on Sunday.
- The Clippers recognize that the 82-game regular season is a marathon, not a sprint, and don’t expect to be playing their best early on with players in and out of the lineup, according to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. “It’s not going to be pretty, it’s not going to be easy, we just got to endure the blows in the beginning, be ready for it and just our whole mental preparation should just be in it for the long haul,” Paul George said.
- Speaking of George, he says he’s become a more vocal leader with the goal of bringing the team a championship, per Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. “It’s a certain level and expectation that you want out of a group when you have a legitimate chance to win it,” said George, a seven-time All-Star. “I just want to make sure we are mindful of that, every practice day, every game day, like what is at stake here. That is why I have been vocal.”
The Clippers are contemplating starting the season with Kawhi Leonard as a reserve to manage his minutes, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).
Leonard, who missed all of last season while recovering from a torn ACL, started both of his preseason appearances for the Clippers, averaging 16.5 minutes per contest. The five-time All-Star, two-time Defensive Player of the Year and two-time Finals MVP sustained the injury in Game 4 of L.A.’s second-round playoff series against Utah in June 2021.
The 31-year-old has a somewhat notorious reputation for missing games due to “load management,” playing no more than 60 regular season games since 2017/18. However, this situation is a bit different because a torn ACL is a very serious injury and sometimes it takes awhile for players to ramp up their conditioning and get back to game speed after missing so much time.
Still, it’s unclear what the advantage would be to bringing Leonard off the bench as opposed to starting. He has started every game he’s played since November 11, 2013, so it’s been nearly nearly nine years since he was last used as a reserve.
With Leonard and fellow star Paul George back and healthy, the Clippers are looking to improve upon last season’s 42-40 campaign that saw them miss out on the playoffs after losing both games in the play-in tournament. The Clippers face the Lakers Thursday night at 9:00pm CT on TNT for their regular season opener.
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue has claimed that a report indicating that Reggie Jackson had won the L.A. starting point guard gig over John Wall did not come from him, and that he has yet to make a final decision, according to Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles will play its first regular season contest this Thursday.
“Both guys are in a great position, and their mindset is in the right place,” Lue said. “It is about winning. It is not about who’s the starter, who’s the best player. It’s about the right fit and trying to win, and both of those guys are on board with that.”
Here’s more out of California:
- Clippers center Ivica Zubac spoke with Mark Medina of NBA.com for a wide-ranging conversation that touched on the team’s hoped-for title contention this season, its stars’ injury woes, the development of Zubac around the rim, and more. Zubac also gave head coach Tyronn Lue a rave review. “Ty has been around the team and me for a while, even before he became a head coach,” Zubac noted. “He’s been seeing the progress for a while. It’s in big part thanks to him. He’s been pushing us. Last season, he asked me to do some things on the court that he hadn’t asked me to do in a while. He involved me more offensively. I think that was a big part of my progression.”
- Following a rigorous training camp, the Kings opted to retain point guard Matthew Dellavedova, forward Chima Moneke, and power forward KZ Okpala into the regular season. Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee breaks down how the new Sacramento additions made the grade. All are currently signed to non-guaranteed deals with the team. “As training camp has gone on, [Moneke] is trending upwards,” head coach Mike Brown said. “I think the initial shock of being in the NBA and the speed and athleticism and all that stuff caught him off guard a little bit, but he belongs on this level and he can help us. I think KZ, too. Both of those guys were two of my first calls, even before I really got the job.” Brown also raved about Dellavedova’s effort on defense. “If Davion [Mitchell] ain’t going hard, he will get embarrassed by Delly… If [De’Aaron] Fox isn’t going hard, he will get embarrassed by Delly. To have a guy like that raises the level of intensity.”
- Warriors reserve guard Jordan Poole signed a four-year contract extension with Golden State worth up to $140MM. Now, new details have emerged about the contract’s various incentives. Anthony Slater of The Athletic unpacks the deal, revealing that – beyond the guaranteed $123MM – Poole will make an extra $1.25MM per year (i.e. $5MM across all four seasons) depending on how far the team gets in the playoffs. He will net an additional $1MM for each year he wins the league MVP award (so a very, very hypothetical total of $4MM), plus $1MM annually per every Defensive Player of the Year award. Considering his skillset, earning either honor even once seems fairly far-fetched. Poole could earn $500K per season should he qualify for an All-NBA team (there are a total of 15 such slots available) and another $500K annually should he qualify for an All-Defensive Team (there are 10 available openings). Slater notes that it is possible Poole grows into being an All-NBA talent, but is skeptical he could ever be an elite defender or named the league MVP.
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.”
3:37pm: As expected, the Clippers have waived Williams, per a team announcement.
10:41am: The Clippers have signed Bryson Williams, the team announced today.
The rookie power forward out of Texas Tech went undrafted this year. He played five summer league games with the Heat.
Williams averaged 14.1 points and 4.2 rebounds in 37 games last season with the Red Raiders.
It’s likely Williams will soon be waived and then join the Ontario Clippers, L.A.’s G League affiliate. Williams would be eligible for a bonus up to $50K if he stays with that club for at least 60 days.
The Clippers have converted Moses Brown‘s Exhibit 10 contract into a two-way deal, the team announced (via Twitter). L.A. had an open two-way slot, so no other roster move is required.
A center who just turned 23 years old on Thursday, Brown went undrafted out of UCLA in 2019. Brown has appeared in 92 regular season games (38 starts, 14.1 MPG) over the past three seasons with the Blazers, Thunder, Mavericks and Cavaliers, holding career averages of 6.0 PPG and 5.8 RPG while shooting 55.4% from the floor and 60.2% from the charity stripe.
Brown possesses great size at 7’2″, is a strong rebounder, and he plays hard, but his skill set is pretty limited. For example, he only has 12 career assists in 1298 minutes at the NBA level.
Still, the Clippers lack size in the frontcourt behind starting center Ivica Zubac, so Brown seemed like a good candidate to receive the second two-way spot. Second-rounder Moussa Diabate currently holds the other.
Russell Westbrook‘s availability for the Lakers season opener appears to be in jeopardy. Westbrook left the team’s preseason game against Sacramento with a left hamstring injury, Kyle Goon of the Orange County Register tweets.
Lakers head coach Darvin Ham said after the game that Westbrook told him he’d be OK, according to ESPN. Westbrook came off the bench for the preseason finale, a move that Ham described as a “realignment.”
We have more on the Los Angeles teams:
- The Lakers “essentially” paused Westbrook trade discussions at the start of training camp, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on NBA Today (Twitter link). They’re expected to start engaging potential suitors again during the season, once teams start to get a clearer sense of what their rosters and rotations look like and how they stack up against the rest of the league.
- Dennis Schröder is being evaluated for a right finger injury and didn’t travel with the team to Sacramento, according to Shams Charania on The Rally (Twitter link). The Lakers have some concerns that it could be a long-term injury, Charania adds. Schröder returned to the Lakers for a second stint on a one-year, $2,641,682 free agent contract.
- John Wall has not only boosted the Clippers’ backcourt but also the locker room, according to Marcus Morris. The veteran forward believes the Clippers’ camaraderie has improved due to Wall’s presence and his aggressive, talkative nature, a contrast to many of his new teammates, Andrew Greif of the Los Angeles Times tweets.
- Clippers president of business operations Gillian Zucker says that most fans are “violently opposed” to the idea of changing the team’s name, Law Murray of The Athletic writes. “It means something to them,” Zucker said. “That this is a team that has direction, that has endured, that has been through a lot and has found its way forward and has a very, very clear North Star at this point. And there are people who have attached themselves to that idea and that notion, and it’s important to them, and they don’t want to see that disappear.”
The Clippers have removed three players from their preseason roster, announcing today that they’ve waived guard Nate Darling, forward Malik Fitts, and wing Xavier Moon. All three players had been with the team on Exhibit 10 contracts and are candidates to join the Ontario Clippers, L.A.’s G League affiliate.
Darling went undrafted out of Delaware in 2020 and spent his rookie season on a two-way contract with Charlotte, appearing in seven games for the Hornets. Last season, the 24-year-old was a fixture in the backcourt for the Clippers’ G League team, averaging 17.1 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 3.1 APG in 31 NBAGL appearances (32.4 MPG).
Fitts, 25, spent time in 2020/21 with the Clippers and their G League affiliate after going undrafted out of Saint Mary’s. Last season, he appeared in 15 total games for Utah and Boston, but played a very minimal role for both teams, logging just 63 total minutes. After finishing the season with the Celtics, Fitts had a non-guaranteed salary for ’22/23, but was traded to Indiana in the Malcolm Brogdon deal and was subsequently waived by the Pacers before signing with L.A.
Moon, who was on a two-way contract with the Clippers last season, didn’t receive a qualifying offer from the team in June, but eventually signed a new Exhibit 10 deal. The 27-year-old, who has spent most of his career overseas, got into 10 games with L.A. as an NBA rookie.
With the cuts, the Clippers now have 16 players under contract. Fourteen of those players have guaranteed contracts, while Moussa Diabate has a two-way deal and Moses Brown is on an Exhibit 10 pact. Brown could have his contract converted into a two-way pact before opening night, though it’s unclear if that’s the Clips’ plan.
Lakers swingman Lonnie Walker, who earned a second consecutive start on Wednesday, sustained a “mild” left ankle sprain in the third quarter, per head coach Darvin Ham. Walker will be reevaluated on Thursday, but he’s not experiencing any swelling or overt pain, a source tells Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link).
The Lakers, having started Walker and Patrick Beverley on Wednesday alongside LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook, continue to search for the right starting lineup fit as the preseason winds down, writes Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times.
“We get an opportunity to throw some stuff at the wall and see what sticks,” Ham said prior to the game. “We already know our three main guys — Russ, Bron, AD. Those guys as well are getting used to playing with one another. That was very limited last year. So we look at it as an opportunity to just shake the rug and just shake things up and see what makes sense once it all starts to come together.”
The Lakers will play one more preseason game on Friday before next Tuesday’s regular season opener.
Here’s more on the NBA’s two Los Angeles teams:
- Anthony Davis still prefers to play power forward, but is willing to start and finish games at center if that’s what the Lakers and Ham ask of him. “I trust Coach’s decision,” Davis said on Wednesday (Twitter link via McMenamin). “I mean, I’m pretty sure he heard AD wants to play the four, so he knows where I stand, but at the end of the day, I want to win, so if that’s me playing the five, that’s what it’s got to be.“
- Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue said he thought going into Wednesday’s game that he knew who would start at point guard, but he’s less certain about that spot after being displeased with how the team opened the game (Twitter link via Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN). Starting point guard Reggie Jackson had just one point in 12 minutes, while John Wall had eight points and four assists in 10 minutes off the bench.
- In an interview on the French television channel Canal+ (video link), Clippers forward Nicolas Batum spoke about the mental health challenges he has faced during his NBA career, as Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops relays. Batum, whose father died of an aneurysm at age 31, was diagnosed with a heart issue before he entered the NBA and worried about his own health and family. “I was convinced the same would happen to me and that I was going to leave my family,” he said. “I asked my wife to not come to the games because I did want to see them in the stands.”