The Clippers have lost six games in a row, and things won’t get any easier for them as they welcome in the Miami Heat and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA

When: 7:30 PM PT

How to Watch: Clippervision, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Heat: Davion Mitchell – Klay Thompson – Andrew Wiggins – Giannis Antetokounmpo – Bam Adebayo

Clippers: Darius Garland – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Rui Hachimura – Brook Lopez

Injuries

Heat: None

Clippers: Brandon Ingram Out (Heel), Yanic Konan Niederhauser Out (Foot), Jordan Miller Out (Calf), Bradley Beal Out (Knee)

Prior Game Recap

The Clippers had perhaps their most frustrating loss of the season (so far) on Monday night, blowing a double-digit lead in the 4^th quarter at home to the Raptors. The Clippers were down DJ and Rui in addition to their usual absences, but it was still a disappointing defeat, as the Clippers played well for much of the game just to unravel down the stretch. Once again, the most worrying player on the Clippers was their star guard, Darius Garland, who was a complete mess in the 4^th quarter. Garland combined hurried shots, bad turnovers, and awful defense to create a concoction that doomed the Clippers despite most other Clips playing well. Especially in close games like Monday night the Clippers need Garland to take care of the ball and make good decisions, and he couldn’t do either of those things.

The Antagonist

The Heat have been perhaps the most disappointing team in the entire NBA to start the season (not counting more injury-riddled teams like the Pacers). Unlike other disappointments such as the Jazz or Clippers, the Heat had real playoff contender aspirations coming into the year after trading for Giannis this summer. However, Miami has been pretty much healthy so far this year and are 2-5 despite playing just a middling schedule. The advanced numbers don’t favor them either – they are 21^st in net rating (one spot ahead of the Clippers) with the 12^th ranked offense and 27^th ranked defense. The Heat’s defense is particularly concerning, as that was supposed to be their calling card this year. The Heat will probably be fine this year, but it will be good for the Clippers to catch them early before they find their rhythm.

Notes

Who Starts at Center: Brook Lopez started for the first time all season against the Raptors, with Isaiah Jackson shifting back to the bench. The supposed reason for Brook starting was the Raptors’ size in the frontcourt, but Jakob Poeltl ended up not playing anyway, so I’m not sure how much that holds water. I think both Brook and IJax have been fine to good thus far this season considering their limitations – neither is a starting level center, and that’s ok! I’d rather IJax continue seeing the bigger role considering the difference in their ages, but if the Clippers like Brook starting that’s fine. As long as Yanic immediately gets a large role when healthy, I won’t have a ton of complaints about the Clippers’ minutes allocation at center.

Max Strus Back: Max Strus played his first game of the season on Monday after missing exactly four weeks with a foot injury, and immediately received a major role while playing 23 minutes off the bench. I think most people expect Strus to start eventually in place of either Kris Dunn or Derrick Jones Jr., but the Clippers clearly want to ramp him into shape first. Still, he played 23 minutes on Monday and took 10 shots, tied for 5^th most, with 9 of those coming from three. Strus’ high-volume three-point shooting combined with competent defense and at least a bit of ballhandling will make him a very useful player for Ty Lue, and it was nice to see him out there. Even with DJ and Rui back for this one, I’d expect him to play just as much tonight if not more.

Clippers vs Heat Preview: Taking on the Greek Freak
Robert Flom

The Clippers will take on Kawhi Leonard’s Toronto Raptors for the first time since they traded him out of Los Angeles, but Kawhi won’t play and both teams are in a tailspin heading into this one.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, CA

When: 7:00 PM PT

How to Watch: KTLA, Clippervision, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Raptors: Immanuel Quickley – Ja’Kobe Walter – RJ Barrett – Scottie Barnes – Jakob Poeltl

Clippers: Darius Garland – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Rui Hachimura – Isaiah Jackson

Injuries

Raptors: Jakob Poeltl Questionable (Shoulder), Kawhi Leonard Out (Knee), Nate Bittle Out (Foot)

Clippers: Derrick Jones Jr. Questionable (Knee), Brandon Ingram Out (Heel), Max Strus Out (Foot), Yanic Konan Niederhauser Out (Foot), Jordan Miller Out (Calf), Bradley Beal Out (Knee)

Prior Game Recap

Another game, another blowout loss for the Clippers, who are now 1-5 and look like one of the worst teams in the NBA. Reinforcements are on the way – Yanic, Ingram, and Strus were all assigned to the G-League to start practicing, which hopefully means no more than another couple of weeks at most before they’re ready to go – and not a moment too soon. Right now the Clippers are bad on defense, bad on offense, and bad at rebounding. Other than that? Still bad! Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones, and Kobe Sanders continue to turn in mostly solid two-way efforts on a nightly basis, but that’s more or less where the positives stop. It’s still early in the season and expectations were low for this team for a reason, but the past few games have been miserable, and hopefully that at least changes soon.

The Antagonist

The Raptors have also dropped several games in a row after losing Kawhi Leonard to knee issues, shifting rapidly from looking like a contender to a play-in type team. Scottie Barnes and Collin Murray-Boyles, the young core of the Raptors, have underwhelmed to start the season, especially on defense, while veterans like Jakob Poeltl and Immanuel Quickley have also struggled. Another team that is supposed to be able to survive without Kawhi struggling to do so? That’s a movie I’ve seen a few times before, and am happy to not have to watch again.

Notes

Kawhi Tribute?: People have been wondering since the Aspiration punishment came down what the Clippers would do when Kawhi Leonard returned to town for the first time. We know that fans will boo (though with Kawhi out and presumably not even in attendance, that shouldn’t matter), but how the organization tackles the situation has been a question mark. Despite Kawhi’s years of playing for the Clippers and his moments of brilliance, the Aspiration scandal overshadowing everything at this time makes me think the Clippers will not do a full tribute video. I could imagine maybe a simple banner or note of “Thank you Kawhi”, but not more than that. I do think it would be pretty great if the Clippers didn’t acknowledge Kawhi at all (especially since he won’t be playing or probably even in attendance), but my guess would be they thank him in some minimal capacity.

First Back to Back: This will be the first back-to-back of the season for the Clippers, and I’m curious to see how they handle it. Darius Garland is in his prime age-wise, but is dealing with back tightness and has been historically injury prone, so it’s possible the Clippers rest him or just play him fewer minutes than normal. Or maybe Rui gets the day off since he is coming off a minor quad injury. Derrick Jones Jr. also left the Warriors game with a knee injury, but he was able to walk it off and it looked like a knee-on-knee collision that might be painful but should not linger as a real injury. Honestly, my guess is that the Clippers play everyone and don’t really change minutes too much, but we will just see.

Clippers vs Raptors Preview: No Kawhi Reunion This Time
Robert Flom

The Clippers have lost four games in a row, and will have to try to end their losing streak on the road against their Pacific Division rivals, the Golden State Warriors.

Game Information

Where: Chase Center, San Francisco, CA

When: 5:30 PM PT

How to Watch: Clippervision, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Darius Garland – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Rui Hachimura – Isaiah Jackson

Warriors: Brandon Williams – Brandin Podziemski – Gui Santos – Yaxel Lendeborg – Graham Ike

Injuries

Clippers: Brandon Ingram Out (Heel), Max Strus Out (Foot), Yanic Konan Niederhauser Out (Foot), Jordan Miller Out (Calf), Bradley Beal Out (Knee)

Warriors: Steph Curry Out (Injury Management), Draymond Green Out (Injury Management), Jimmy Butler Out (Knee), Kristaps Porzingis Out (Illness), Moses Moody Out (Knee)

The Big Picture

While it’s still early on in the season, we are five games in, which means numbers and stats are gradually starting to take on more importance. The 1-4 Clippers rank 12^th in defense (surprisingly good) and 29^th in offense (yikes), placing them at 22^nd in Net Rating ahead of mostly just the dregs of the league (Bulls, Bucks, Nets, Kings). Coming into the season, I thought the Clippers would have a good offense and a bad defense; the inverse has been true, largely because of their injuries. No Brandon Ingram, Max Strus, and Brad Beal to start the season has meant a whole lot more Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., and Kobe Sanders, which has boosted the Clippers’ defense but harmed their offense. Most significantly, the Clippers rank dead last in turnover ratio, nearly 3 whole points behind the Hornets – and there’s really no reason for them to be that bad at taking care of the ball.

What’s made the start of the season even more odd is that most of the rotation players on the Clippers have played well considering expectations – or just flat out. DJ, Dunn, Brook Lopez, and Kobe Sanders have all been excellent, Keaton Wagler has mostly been pretty good, especially considering his age and physical limitations, and Gradey Dick and Isaiah Jackson have been fine for their expectations. The issue is that the two remaining players not mentioned so far, Darius Garland and Rui Hachimura, have been mostly dreadful, and those were the two players that were supposed to carry the offense with the injured guys out. As long as Garland is giving the ball away every third possession and not getting to the rim on offense, and as long as Rui can’t figure out any way to create his own shot, the Clippers’ offense in the halfcourt is going to be dreadful.

The Antagonist

After looking horrific their first three games of the season, the Warriors have rallied to win their last three, including coming from 25 points down to beat the Lakers on Friday night. That the Warriors are 3-3 with a positive point differential is impressive considering who has not played for them this season – three of their theoretical top 7 players. The Warriors have the 7^th ranked offense and 22^nd ranked defense in the league, which makes sense looking at their roster. Steph Curry has been incandescent to start the season, and has gotten a big boost on offense from rookie Yaxel Lendeborg, who has been mostly excellent offensively despite some turnover issues. Brandin Podziemski has been a solid third wheel, while veterans like De’Anthony Melton and Georges Niang are contributing decent minutes as well. As long as Steph is healthy and has even a modicum of supporting talent, the Warriors will be dangerous, even with their horrible big man rotation that undermines their defense.

Notes

Can Wagler Bounce Back: Keaton Wagler had his first bad game of his NBA career, shooting 2-11 from the field and finishing as a team-worst -24 in plus/minus. Five games into his rookie season, the scouting report seems to be out on Keaton: pressure his handle up the court, be physical, and don’t let him get to his step back jumper. Wagler still got to the line, rebounded the ball, and made some nice passes, but the scoring was rough. The Warriors are a much softer defense than the Wolves, so I’d love to see him get a truly efficient offensive night against them. Keaton’s ability to draw fouls is already the best on the team (remarkable for a rookie), so I want him to be aggressive and drive, but also leverage those drives more for passes than for wilder shots at the rim. I’ve been very impressed with Keaton, and I’m curious to see how he responds to his first off night.

Must Win: It’s kind of crazy to label the 6th game of the season as a must-win, but the Warriors without Steph, Draymond, Butler, Porzingis, and Moody would be the least talented team in the NBA. The Clippers are on the road and missing a ton of players themselves, but Garland should be the best player in the game and the Clippers have better depth than Golden State. If they want to even try to be competitive this year this is a game they need to win.

Clippers vs Warriors Preview: Trying to Stop the Slide
Robert Flom

The Clippers take on the Timberwolves in their 5th game of the season and their first game in NBA Cup play.

Game Information

Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN

When: 5:00 PM PT

How to Watch: Clippervision, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Darius Garland – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kobe Sanders – Isaiah Jackson

Timberwolves: LaMelo Ball – Ayo Dosunmu – Jonathan Kuminga – Jaden McDaniels – Rudy Gober

Injuries

Clippers: Rui Hachimura Questionable (Quad), Brandon Ingram Out (Heel), Max Strus Out (Foot), Yanic Konan Niederhauser Out (Foot), Jordan Miller Out (Calf), Bradley Beal Out (Knee)

Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards Out (Knee), Donte DiVincenzo Out (Achilles),

Prior Game Notes

While the Clippers were 1-2 heading into Wednesday night’s game, both of their losses were close and relatively inspired, so fans were feeling pretty good early on. The Clippers, as they so often do, proceeded to promptly ruin the vibes by putting out a real stinker, trailing most of the way to a Lakers team missing Luka Doncic and giving the ball away seemingly every other trip down the court. Keaton Wagler and Baba Miller had moments, and Derrick Jones Jr. played well, but basically all other Clippers were either bad or invisible in what turned out to be a deflating defeat. I don’t think there’s much to take away from the game Xs and Os wise; the Clippers just need to be much sharper with ballhandling and passes to limit their turnovers.

The Antagonist

The Wolves got off to a rollicking 3-0 start to their season before losing their last two games. In much worse news, superstar Anthony Edwards had to have a minor knee procedure that will likely keep him out for two months. The Wolves are a good team and the presence of LaMelo Ball should help keep their offense afloat, but Ant’s incredible scoring and on-ball defense aren’t readily filled by anyone else on the roster. Rudy Gobert has also come out of the gates a bit slow, and if he’s taken a step back as he enters his mid-30s, the Wolves could be in some trouble. For the time being, Ayo Dosunmu, Bones Hyland, and Terrance Shannon Jr will pick up some slack, and the Wolves will probably remain solid enough.

Notes

NBA Cup Starts: The NBA Cup kicks off tonight to some fanfare. There are fans who really care about the Cup, some fans that are indifferent, and others that hate it. I’m mostly in the indifferent category, but I’m open to the Cup becoming a thing – and it would be nice if the Clippers won something! The Clippers are in West Group B, alongside the Wolves, Thunder, Grizzlies, and Pelicans. All said it’s not the worst group, especially considering Anthony Edwards’ injury and all of the Thunder’s injuries. However, the Grizzlies have looked great to start the year, so even if the Thunder and Wolves are worse than normal the Clippers still have three tough games. It usually takes a 3-1 record to advance out of the group stage, which will be a difficult path for the Clippers, but hey, stranger things have happened.

Darius Garland Struggling: After a terrific first game against the Kings, Darius Garland has been dreadful the last three outings. In those contests Garland is averaging under 19 points a game while shooting 41.6% from the field and 33% from three. The scoring efficiency is the least of the issues though, as Garland has turned the ball over an insane 20 times in those three games, with many of them being sloppy and completely unforced. Garland is going to be a negative on defense and on the glass (he’s been even worse than I feared on both counts), so in order to be impactful he needs to be incredible on offense. Suffice to say he has been far from that outside of the Kings game. Not everything is on Garland – he’s overburdened without much help – but the sloppy turnovers and the poor shot choices need to be fixed sooner than later if the Clippers are going to have any chance to win games.

Clippers vs Wolves Game: NBA Cup Begins
Robert Flom

The Clippers just played the Lakers five days ago, losing on Friday night on the road at Crypto.com arena, and will now get a chance to settle the score at home in Inglewood.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 7:30 PM ET

How to Watch: KTLA, Clippervision, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Lakers: Luka Doncic – Austin Reaves – Matisse Thybulle – Ziaire Williams – Walker Kessler

Clippers: Darius Garland – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kobe Sanders – Isaiah Jackson

Injuries

Lakers: Adou Thiero Out (Knee)

Clippers: Brandon Ingram Out (Heel), Rui Hachimura Out (Quad), Max Strus Out (Foot), Yanic Konan Niederhauser Out (Foot), Jordan Miller Out (Calf), Bradley Beal Out (Knee)

Prior Game Notes

The Clippers lost on Sunday in a game that was totally overshadowed by the injury to Jalen Williams late in the 4^th quarter, resulting in multiple fractures and the Thunder star missing the rest of the season. On the Clippers side, the game was another feisty outing against a superior team where some of the veterans played well (Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., Brook Lopez) and some were very bad (Rui Hachimura, Darius Garland). The Clippers being a competitive 1-2 with below average starts to the season for Rui and Garland is encouraging, but the biggest bright spot continues to be the play of Keaton Wagler, who is ready for large minutes and consistently impacts the team in a positive way.

The Antagonist

The Lakers are 3-0 as I’m writing this (they have a late game against the Blazers going on after I’ll be done putting this up) and have looked pretty good to start the season. Their dynamic backcourt of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves is extremely difficult to guard for most teams, Walker Kessler looks like a perfect fit as the man in the middle, and the rest of the role players have played well enough to close any gaps. I still don’t trust in those guys 4-10 on the roster enough to view the Lakers as a contender, but if their top 3 guys are healthy they are going to be an excellent regular season team and will be a tough out every night.

Notes

Kobe Sanders, Starting: Kobe is starting in place of Rui, who is out with quad soreness. There has been no reporting on Rui’s injury being long-term, but for right now, it’s honestly probably a good thing he’s out, because he’s been a mess to start the season. Hopefully a game or two on the sidelines can clear Rui’s head and get him back into the swing of things. In the meantime, Kobe makes clear sense as the 5^th starter, as he’s been quite effective on both sides of the ball early, and in particular will be a defensive upgrade over Rui. I don’t think Kobe is a starter long-term, but this will be a good opportunity for him to show what he can do in a larger role.

Does Baba Fill in as the Backup: Kobe starting means Ty Lue will have to backfill his spot on the bench, and Baba Miller seems like the most likely option. Baba played a bit in the rotation in games one and three and was quickly benched both times, though he did have a nice stretch in garbage time against the Kings. If the Clippers don’t trust Baba to fill in that rotation spot… there aren’t many other options, since they have 6 players out with injury. It would have to be one of the two-way guys, with Martinelli being the cleanest fit position-wise. I do think Baba will get a shot, and with so few active players, he might get real minutes in this one. Let’s hope he impressed and continues to earn minutes moving forward.

Clippers vs Lakers Preview: A Quick Rematch
Robert Flom

Dr. Shap and I recorded an episode of The Lob The Jam The Pod last night discussing the Clippers’ first three games of the 2027 season. We gave our thoughts on some disappointments, notably Darius Garland and Rui Hachimura, but also handed out some lavish praise to Keaton Wagler, Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., and Brook Lopez. We also debated future rotations as the Clippers get healthy in the coming weeks, as well as what the updated starting lineup might be when Brandon Ingram and Max Strus return.

The Lob The Jam The Pod can be found wherever you listen to podcasts, including Spotify, Apple, iHeartRadio, and more.

TLTJTP: Early Season Roundup + Wagler Hype
Robert Flom

The Clippers will try to get back in the winning column after a tough loss to the Lakers, but will face a stiff challenge with the 2-0 Thunder.

Game Information

Where: Paycom Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

When: 4:00 PM ET

How to Watch: Clippervision, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Darius Garland – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Rui Hachimura – Isaiah Jackson

Thunder: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Cason Wallace – Jalen Williams – Chet Holmgren – Isaiah Hartenstein

Injuries

Clippers: Brandon Ingram Out (Heel), Max Strus Out (Foot), Yanic Konan Niederhauser Out (Foot), Jordan Miller Out (Calf), Bradley Beal Out (Knee)

Thunder: Nikola Topic Out (Back), Thomas Sorber Out (Knee)

Prior Game Notes

The Lakers game was quite a bit less satisfying for Clippers’ fans than the Kings’ win. The Clippers lost, which of course is always a damper, but the way they lost made the defeat even more frustrating. The Clippers turned the ball over 25 times against a Lakers’ defense that was solid but not amazing, with about half of those giveaways being mostly unforced. The primary culprit was Darius Garland, who had 9 turnovers alone, and whose scoring numbers (26 points on 9-19 shooting) strongly overstate his performance. The Clippers’ other supposed go-to-scorer, Rui Hachimura, was similarly ineffective, with 16 points on 14 shots. Once again, Brook Lopez was awesome, as were Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr., and the play of those veterans has been nice for the first two games. Most importantly of all, Keaton Wagler was again impressive: he shot worse and had more turnovers than against the Kings, but he looked like he belonged, took some deep threes, and got to the line a lot. As long as Wagler continues this level of play (improvement throughout the season would be even better) this season will be a success.

The Antagonist

We all know who the Thunder are. Oklahoma City has had the same core for years, though they did revamp the edges of their roster this summer by shipping out Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe, and Aaron Wiggins, and more or less not replacing them. Rookie Aday Mara has gotten some backup minutes, but otherwise those departures have been filled by guys already on the roster – Cason Wallace, Ajay Mitchell, and Jared McCain most prominently. The Thunder are 2-0 against a tough schedule, and look as good as ever. The Thunder are not unbeatable, but they are a championship contender for a reason and are also relatively healthy at this time. For the Clippers, on the road in Oklahoma might well be the toughest game of the entire 2027 calendar.

Notes

Does Ty Lue Expand the Rotation: Ty Lue played a 9.5 man rotation on opening night against the Kings, with Baba Miller logging just a few minutes of regular rotation play in each half before playing much of garbage time. Against the Lakers, Miller was excised from the rotation, with Ty only playing nine guys the whole night. Gradey Dick was clearly the last player in the rotation, receiving 12 minutes, while all of the starters aside from Isaiah Jackson played at least 33 minutes. I think Baba Miller should be re-inserted into the rotation for this game, as the Thunder are so physical, athletic, and aggressive, and the Clippers could use Baba’s size and raw athleticism.

Cutting Down on Turnovers: The Clippers had 25 turnovers against the Lakers yet were still kind of in the game down the stretch (I didn’t ever think they would win, but they were feasibly within striking distance). That will not be the case against the Thunder, who are experts at forcing turnovers as well as finishing in transition. Darius Garland, in particular, will have to be much, much sharper. Teams are going to throw everything they have at him and try to take him out of the game, and right now the Clippers are down a lot of offensive talent, which makes his life harder. That said, ultimately my take can be summed by the Mad Men quote, “That’s what the money is for!”. If Garland is to be this team’s best player and star, he has to pick his spots better, take care of the ball, and overall make stronger decisions. Hopefully he has a bounceback game against the Thunder.

Clippers vs Thunder Preview: A Tough Test in OKC
Robert Flom

After winning their first game of the season in relatively straightforward fashion, the Clippers will face a much stiffer contest tonight against the crosstown rival Lakers.

Game Information

Where: Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, California

When: 7:00 PM ET

How to Watch: Clippervision, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Darius Garland – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Rui Hachimura – Isaiah Jackson

Lakers: Luka Doncic – Austin Reaves – Matisse Thybulle – Ziaire Williams – Walker Kessler

Injuries

Clippers: Brandon Ingram Out (Heel), Max Strus Out (Foot), Yanic Konan Niederhauser Out (Foot), Jordan Miller Out (Calf), Bradley Beal Out (Knee)

Lakers: Collin Sexton Doubtful (Calf), Jake Laravia Questionable (Ankle), Cam Carr Questionable (Oblique), Adou Thiero Questionable (Knee)

Prior Game Notes

The Clippers dominated the Kings more or less from start to finish in their opening game, but the Kings were so bad it was hard to tell what the Clippers were doing well and what the Kings were failing at miserably. Still, it was a fun game for Clippers’ fans, as nearly everyone on the team had a highlight or two. Darius Garland was the best player in the game by a mile, as the Kings could not stop him from getting wherever he wanted on the court. Derrick Jones Jr. and Kris Dunn played with their usual energy and defensive intensity, Brook Lopez and Isaiah Jackson formed an effective center combination, and Gradey Dick looked great off the bench. Most importantly for the Clippers, however, was the play of 5^th pick Keaton Wagler, who was terrific (a few classic rookie warts on defense aside) – he drained open threes with confidence, got to the rim multiple times, rebounded, and made tons of plays for others. Keaton won’t always play this well, but him looking that good in his first real NBA game (even against the Kings) was still fantastic to see.

The Antagonist

The Lakers largely remade their team this summer outside of the pillars of Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, with all three of their other starters as well as most of their core bench pieces being new to the franchise. Game one of the new squad went well for the Lakers, as they beat the snot out of the rival Warriors on national TV on opening night. Luka and Reaves were dominant on offense, and Luka’s pairing with Walker Kessler, who the Lakers invested a huge amount of assets in, was spectacular, with Kessler scoring over 20 points and not missing a shot. The Lakers are expected to be a strong playoff team and through one game looked every bit of that caliber.

Notes

A Step Up in Difficulty: The Clippers were fortunate in playing the Kings at home in their first game of the season. Honestly, considering how bad the Kings are, that game will probably one of their 5 to 10 easiest games of the entire season, even with the Clippers dealing with a ton of injuries. The Lakers will present a much steeper challenge, and that large increase in talent and competence could be a bit of a shock to the Clippers. Hopefully the Clippers are able to weather what you know will be an early Luka-Reaves barrage and not get snowed under. If they do go down quickly, it will be a true “welcome to the regular season” moment after scoring at will against the defenseless Kings.

Getting Rui Going: I’ve been vocal about my thoughts on Rui Hachimura being overrated by the fanbase. That said, he’s going to be relied upon on offense until the Clippers’ reinforcements come, and the Clippers desperately need him to be better than he was on Wednesday, when he went 3-13 from the field (1-6 from two) and had more assists than turnovers. His midrange creation looked hesitant and robotic (in a bad way), and any attempts to create off the bounce were disastrous. I won’t judge too harshly on one game, but the Clippers will need a much improved Rui if they’re going to hang with the Lakers on offense.

Clippers vs. Lakers Preview: First Road Game of 2027 Season
Robert Flom

The Clippers begin their 2027 season at home against their Pacific Division rivals, the Sacramento Kings.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 7:30 PM ET

How to Watch: KTLA, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Kings: Darius Acuff – Zach LaVine – Keegan Murray – DeAndre Hunter – Domantas Sabonis

Clippers: Darius Garland – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Rui Hachimura – Isaiah Jackson

Injuries

Kings: Malik Monk Questionable (Ankle), Maxime Raynaud Out (Knee), Dylan Cardwell Out (Calf), Ben Simmons Out (Achilles)

Clippers: Brandon Ingram Out (Heel), Max Strus Out (Foot), Yanic Konan Niederhauser Out (Foot), Jordan Miller Out (Calf), Bradley Beal Out (Knee)

The Antagonist

The Kings were one of the very worst teams in the NBA last year, going 22-60 and tanking the last couple months of the season to try to get a prime draft pick. With classic Kings luck, they fell down in the draft lottery to the 7^th pick, which they used to select Darius Acuff, a very exciting young guard. Unfortunately for the Kings, most of the rest of the roster is pretty similar to last year, with primary difference being that DeMar DeRozan and Russell Westbrook are no longer there, and that a couple of other youngsters (Emanuel Sharp, Alex Karaban) are there instead. The Kings probably won’t be as bad as they were last year (LaVine, Sabonis, and Murray all missed a lot of time with injuries/tanking), but the roster is still a mess, especially on defense, and I’d project them to once again be towards the bottom of the Western Conference standings, even with Acuff (who I quite like).

Notes

Who Starts for the Clippers: We know who two of the starters will be for sure – Darius Garland and Isaiah Jackson – and can put Rui Hachimura and Derrick Jones Jr. pretty firmly in as well. The last spot is a bit of a question, with four guys being potential candidates for it: Kris Dunn, Keaton Wagler, Kobe Sanders, and Gradey Dick. Dunn is the most logical pick due to his combination of defense, ballhandling, and leadership, but Dick is more of a traditional two-guard, Sanders is the most well-rounded two-way presence, and Wagler is the future. I wouldn’t be shocked by any of them starting, but I’d expect it to be Dunn. We will see!

The Rest of the Rotation: Similarly, I think there’s one rotation spot that’s a bit up in the air. Five of the guys mentioned above will be starting, and even if Dunn, Wagler, and Sanders aren’t starting they will certainly be in the rotation. Brook Lopez is a lock at the backup center position. That still leaves two spots open, though I’m relatively confident Gradey will fill one of those. I expect Ty Lue will go with a 10-man rotation early on, and if so, that still means one blank spot. The two candidates are Baba Miller and Jalen Pickett. Miller makes the most sense positionally as a true forward, and adds athleticism, size, and energy to a unit that could use all of those things. Pickett’s ballhandling and shooting would be good ads to complement Wagler and ease things for him early. I hope (and think) it will be Miller – the dude just needs to play, even if he’s very raw and will have some ugly moments early.

Clippers vs Kings Preview: Kicking off the 2027 Season
Robert Flom

Our player preview series on the 2027 Clippers concludes with their star point guard, Darius Garland.

Basic Information

Height: 6’1

Weight: 192 pounds

Position: Point Guard

Age: 26

Years in NBA: 7

Stats (with Clippers): 19.9 points, 2.3 rebounds, 6.4 assists, and 1.2 steals in 29.1 minutes per game across 19 games played (17 starts) on 47.1/43.8/86 shooting splits (7.6 3PA, 2.3 FTA) with 60.2% TS

Contract Status: In the fourth year of a 5 year, $193M deal, making $42.16M this year

Expectations

No player on the Clippers has higher expectations than Darius Garland, who is rightfully expected to be the best player on the team this season. A two-time All Star, Garland was of course the primary trade return for the Clippers’ former star point guard, James Harden, who was mostly excellent for the Clips. Garland played well for the Clippers after the deadline last year, but he left a bit of a sour taste in the mouth of Clippers’ fans by underperforming in the team’s play-in loss to the Warriors. Garland appears to be healthy entering the regular season and now has the keys to the Clippers offense. I think some fans are a bit wild with stat predictions, but it’s certainly not unreasonable to expect 22-23 points per game and 8 assists or so; those are numbers he put up in Cleveland in 2022 in the last season before they traded for Donovan Mitchell. From an impact perspective, Garland being somewhere around All-Star level would be huge for the Clippers, and if he can touch the All-NBA level of play he’s flashed, even better.

Strengths

Darius is one of the best pull-up three-point shooters in the NBA. For his career, he’s shot threes at 38.9% on quite high volume (6.1 attempts per game), with just under 60% of them being assisted (off the catch, more or less) and only 13.6% being from the corners. While not Steph Curry or even Dame Lillard level, Garland is a step below as a ballhandler that defenses have to respect from distance from 30 feet and in. That shooting helps draw defenders up, and opens the court for the rest of the team. When Garland gets hot, he can get scorching, and those three-point shooting spurts were a big reason behind the Cavaliers’ league-best offense in the 2025 season.

If Garland were just an excellent shooter, he wouldn’t be a dynamic offensive force. Fortunately for the Clippers, that’s not the case, as he combines that three-point shooting with plus ballhandling and playmaking abilities. Garland at least 6.1 assists per game every season since his rookie year, and boasts an assist to turnover ratio of 6.7:2.9, or close to 2.5:1. He’s a crafty pick and roll operator who can get to most spots on the floor with ease, leveraging his speed to blow by defenders or get them on his hip so he can work his way into the paint. Once Garland has an advantage, he’s a strong passer that can make most reads on the court (he’s limited a bit by his height) and is committed to setting his teammates up for open shots. Honestly, in some ways, Garland is a throwback point guard very reminiscent of the “old school” way the position used to be played. He gets his team into its offense, runs plays, feeds players when they are hot, and scores when needed – he feels like a conductor of an offense more than a do-everything engine.

Weaknesses

At his very best, Darius Garland has been a slightly below-average defender. He’s not as tiny as say Trae Young or Tyus Jones, but he is a very undersized player for the modern NBA, and that makes defense a challenge for him. Garland does not have the height or wingspan to bother opposing shooters, nor does he have the strength to hold up against larger players on drives or in the post. Garland does play with effort, but he will always be a target for the top ballhandlers on opposing teams in mismatches and switches. That pressure is not as deadly on a game-to-game basis in the regular season, but it has proven to be a real challenge in the playoffs, and the Clippers will have to cover for him on a frequent basis.

Durability has also proven to be a challenge for Garland. He has played more than 70 games just once in seven seasons (2025), with all other seasons falling between 45 and 69 games. Garland has never had truly major injuries in the NBA, but he gets a lot of nagging ones (possibly another consequence of his size) that take him out for a handful of games here or there. This will be the first time that Garland has been the clear best player on a team in his career (he had an argument on the 2022 Cavs, but Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley were around his level probably), and we have not seen how he will hold up under that pressure and intensity yet. He seems to be coming into the season healthy, and the Clippers have to hope he will remain that way – this team just can’t withstand an injury to him on offense, especially if Brandon Ingram is also out.

Summary

Darius Garland is the Clippers’ player whose future on the team is hardest to predict. We know the young guys will be around for a while (or at least a couple of years) and that most of the veterans will probably be traded in the next year or so. Garland is the one guy who could truly fall into either “core piece” or “trade asset” depending on how he plays this season. If he disappoints (through play or injury) his contract will probably be unmovable this year, but he would move out of the core category and be an expiring contract next season. If he plays well but not amazingly this season, the Clippers could potentially move him via trade for positive value. And if Garland looks incredible, the Clippers could decide he’s a cornerstone of the franchise and extend him moving forward. Considering the Clippers do not own their own picks for a half-decade, a traditional tank is out of the question, so if Garland does re-establish himself as a star, the Clippers keeping him makes a lot of sense.

Clippers 2027 Player Preview: Darius Garland
Robert Flom