The Clippers are back in Los Angeles, and the next stop is Canada. Clippers vs Raptors tips off Saturday, October 10, at 3:30 p.m. PT at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, part of the NBA Canada Series. It is the first look at Tyronn Lue’s rotation without Max Strus. It was also supposed to be Kawhi Leonard against his old team, but that reunion now looks unlikely. The Clippers held their first practice back home on Tuesday.
Here is what is new since our Strus injury update: the practice back home, the shooting-guard battle, where Bradley Beal and Brandon Ingram stand, and what Toronto is bringing to Vancouver.
Back Home: Tuesday’s Practice
After a week of camp on Oʻahu and Sunday’s 104-101 win over Golden State, the Clippers returned to practice in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The team’s media availability featured Lue, Derrick Jones Jr. and rookie center Baba Miller, who had nine points and six rebounds in 20 minutes against the Warriors. The full session is embedded below.
As of Wednesday morning, the team had not announced any lineup changes or new injuries beyond the Strus diagnosis. The plan for Strus is unchanged: he has a partial tear of the plantar fascia in his right foot and will be reevaluated in four weeks.
The Shooting-Guard Battle
Strus started Sunday next to Darius Garland, with Jones, Rui Hachimura and Isaiah Jackson. With him out, that spot is the biggest open question of the next two preseason games. The options:
- Keaton Wagler: the No. 5 pick played 30 minutes Sunday after Strus left. He scored 15, made 8 of 9 free throws and hit the go-ahead jumper, but shot 3-of-15. Lue said at the start of camp that the team would give Wagler “a lot of on-ball opportunities. Because he’s a great pick and roll player.” Clipperholics argued this week that Wagler is the obvious choice because he can space the floor, create and defend.
- Kris Dunn: the defensive option, with experience starting next to Garland. SI’s Clippers site suggested Dunn may make more sense early so Wagler can run the second unit. Dunn played only six minutes Sunday.
- Gradey Dick: four points on 1-of-5 shooting in 16 minutes Sunday. Saturday is a chance to show the shooting that brought him over in the Leonard trade.
Lue has said since Media Day that the lineup is “not about the best player, it’s about the best fit.” Garland and Hachimura are the primary scorers in the current group, which could tilt the decision toward a defender. If Lue starts Wagler, the bench loses its main creator.
Beal and Ingram: Where They Stand
Bradley Beal did not play in Honolulu because of right knee inflammation. No return date has been announced. He told the Orange County Register he can now run and jump without pain after last season’s hip surgery, and he sounded confident. “I can still do my step-backs. I can dunk a basketball,” Beal said. Clipperholics reported that he has been seen on the court during practice. Until the team clears him, his status for Vancouver is unknown.
Brandon Ingram will not play Saturday. He is recovering from heel surgery and a partially torn Achilles tendon repaired in May, has recently progressed to light court work and has been ruled out for the start of the season. Lue has called his return timeline vague. “As he gets closer, we got to start getting him on the floor and going through the plays, seeing what he likes,” Lue said in Honolulu.
The rest of the injury list is unchanged: Jordan Miller (left shoulder surgery), Yanic Konan Niederhauser (foot) and Kobe Sanders (left hip impingement, no timetable).
Clippers vs Raptors: The Kawhi Question
This game was always going to be about the trade. Toronto acquired Leonard from the Clippers for Ingram, Dick, two unprotected first-round picks, a first-round swap and two second-round picks. The deal was agreed on June 30 but did not become official until mid-September while the NBA investigated salary-cap circumvention.
Leonard will probably not play. He sat out Toronto’s preseason opener in Quebec City and practiced fully Monday and Tuesday, but Sportsnet’s Michael Grange said the Raptors have “pretty much confirmed” he will not play Saturday, and TSN’s Josh Lewenberg has reported the same. His first game could come October 13 in Toronto at the earliest.
“I feel good. Being smart, taking it slow,” Leonard told reporters in Toronto. “Just getting familiar with everybody.” Raptors coach Darko Rajaković said Leonard “missed a lot of time this summer” and is “still learning the names of all of the guys on the roster.”
So the two main pieces of the trade, Leonard and Ingram, are both expected to watch. Dick will be the only one on the floor.
The setting still carries weight. Saturday’s game is expected to be a sellout. Daily Hive notes it will be the seventh time the Raptors have played at Rogers Arena since the Vancouver Grizzlies left for Memphis in 2001, and Leonard made his Raptors preseason debut in that building in 2018. After Vancouver, Toronto plays the Knicks twice next week and closes its preseason against Detroit on October 16. For the Clippers, Saturday’s game comes after several days at home, which gives Lue time to install lineups that do not include Strus.
What to Watch in Vancouver
- The new starting five: Wagler or Dunn next to Garland, and whether Jackson keeps the center spot after his Honolulu start or Brook Lopez gets a look.
- Wagler’s shot: a 1-of-11 night from three won’t define him, but a better shooting game would strengthen his case.
- Turnovers: the Clippers committed 22 against the Warriors.
- The young bigs: Miller and Jackson both had good moments Sunday.
Watch: Clippers Practice Availability
Hear from Lue, Derrick Jones Jr. and Baba Miller after Tuesday’s practice on the Clippers’ official channel:
Schedule
- Saturday, Oct. 10: vs. Toronto, Rogers Arena, Vancouver, 3:30 p.m. PT
- Wednesday, Oct. 14: vs. Denver, Intuit Dome
- Wednesday, Oct. 21: regular-season opener vs. Sacramento, Intuit Dome
Want the pressers and practice reports first? Subscribe to Infanity TV on YouTube.
