Before getting into the gameplay of the Clippers-Magic scrimmage in Orlando, we have a few things to clean up: Patrick Beverly, who was expected to start today, actually left the bubble yesterday for a family matter. He joined Montrezl Harrell in that category, and we here at 213Hoops certainly wish them and their families the best. Moreover, Marcus Morris, Sr. made it to Orlando in time for one practice and today’s scrimmage.

As a result, Reggie Jackson and Morris joined Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, and Joakim Noah in the starting lineup.

Summary

Aside from the Clippers outscoring the Magic by 16 points in the second quarter, this “game” was fairly even. In the first quarter, Doc played every single one of the eleven players he activated today (although rookie Terance Mann only got a few seconds). They only came up with 21 points collectively on 30% shooting (the Magic shot 45%). To put it simply, there was pretty sloppy basketball all around, which of course was expected. Joakim Noah did, however, grab four boards in his first six or so minutes. He quickly became a focal point for viewers, given that he is the biggest unknown on this Clippers roster.

As mentioned above, the Clippers found a bit of a rhythm in the second quarter. The scored 32 points, largely behind Paul George (13 points through the half) and Lou Williams (11), who handled the ball a ton today. As a team, they shot 63% from the field and 53% from three in the half.

The Magic cut into the Clippers’ lead, taking the third quarter 28-22. They were primarily led by Aaron Gordon, Nikola Vucevic, and Terrence Ross (who the Clippers kept fouling all game). The Magic also continued to rebound well, including eight offensive rebounds through the first three quarters.

Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Reggie Jackson sat the whole fourth quarter, as Doc handed the game over to Amir Coffey (who actually got time throughout the game), Patrick Patterson, Rodney McGruder, and Terance Mann. The Clippers ultimately finished at 44% from the field and 39% from three. The Magic were not too far off from the field (42%) but the Clipper held them to 18% from behind the arc. Ultimately, the Clippers and Magic survived their first outing in Orlando without major issues or injuries, so we’ll take it.

Notes

• Lou Williams Dominates: Sporting cornrows, Lou looked ready to go. He had 22 points on 7/13 shooting. As noted above, he handled the ball often, with the Clippers missing Patrick Beverly and Landry Shamet.
• Paul George Looks Spry: George had a well-rounded outing, with 18 points and five rebounds. Notably, he was 4/8 from three and looked smooth, as always.
• Joakim Noah Shows He Still Has Game: Noah only had four points and five rebounds in 15 minutes, but he passed well (3 assists), set screens, and was generally active in a positive way.

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Clippers best Magic in first Orlando scrimmage, 99-90
Kenneth Armstrong

As NBA teams gear up to begin pre-season “scrimmage” play in Orlando this week, it’s safe to say that we shouldn’t take these pre-mid-season games too seriously. But, still, the games are going to be on TV and we’re going to be watching, so I figured it would be good to check in and discuss what to watch for in the Orlando scrimmages.

First, let’s outline what not to watch for: quality from the Clippers’ good players. Guys that are guaranteed to be a part of the team’s playoff core–Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Paul George, and Kawhi Leonard come to mind among players who are currently in Orlando (Montrezl Harrell left the bubble due to a family matter, while Ivica Zubac and Landry Shamet all have yet to arrive in Orlando at all and Marcus Morris participated in his first practice this morning)–don’t really need these games to be anything more than tune-ups. I expect them all to play (though it wouldn’t be a big deal if someone, like Morris who just arrived, sat out), but they should all have relatively limited minutes as they work into game shape and Doc Rivers balances getting everyone playing time in the 10-minute scrimmage quarters.

While I know we’ll all be excited to see some of our favorite Clippers take the court, a poor shooting night for one of their stars really doesn’t mean much. The further we go down the Clippers’ roster, however, the more these largely meaningless games can become meaningful for individual players who are going to be competing with each other for minutes as the absent Clippers arrive in Orlando, the playoffs drag on, and Doc Rivers’ rotation tightens. So, with that in mind, here are 3 things to watch for as the Clippers return to play this week:

Is Joakim Noah “back”?

This is what most Clippers fans will watch for in the Orlando scrimmages. Few topics in the Clippersphere have as much intrigue as how the arrival of Joakim Noah will impact the team in Orlando. Originally signed to a 10-day contract just before the season was suspended, Noah has yet to actually appear in a game for the club, but has now been an anticipated free agent arrival for over four months. Of course, the Joakim Noah you’ll remember–2013-14’s Defensive Player of the Year and All-NBA First Team Center–ain’t walking through that door. But that doesn’t mean, half a decade later, that the 35-year-old veteran has nothing to offer the Clippers in this title run.

Noah signed mid-season with the Memphis Grizzlies last season and contributed quite solidly, posting averages of 7.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while playing 16.5 minutes per game in 42 contests. More important than his per-minute stats, he showed that while he is no longer in his prime, he was still Joakim Noah in Memphis–a fiercely physical and passionate center who excelled at rebounding and was a far above-average passer for his position. At his best, Noah has a bit of Patrick Beverley in him, and it should be a real treat for Clippers fans to watch the two of them share the floor in Orlando.

Still, Noah is a year older now and has had to recover from another major injury. With the Clippers already boasting two good-but-limited younger centers, there’s a pretty wide spectrum for Joakim’s potential impact in the playoffs: anywhere from “a good locker room presence who isn’t really serviceable” to “the center Doc Rivers trusts most to close big games.” While he would have gotten run in these scrimmages regardless, it’s worth nothing that the Clippers have no other center in Orlando currently. Even when Montrezl Harrell returns and Ivica Zubac arrives, it’s unlikely that either of those guys will bring much different than the (very good) versions of themselves that fans have grown accustomed to watching. But Noah provides a player ripe to be evaluated, and while we don’t want to overreact to good or bad performances in these meaningless scrimmages, we should be able to learn a little bit about the extent to which he still is (or isn’t) an NBA-caliber player.

JaMychal Green and Patrick Patterson

Another thing to watch for in the Orlando scrimmages will be the backup power forward battle. I like both JaMychal Green and Patrick Patterson quite a bit (though I must say I give the edge to Green after his wonderful playoff performances for the Clippers last season). But here’s something that I think is safe to say: if the Clippers stay healthy, only one of these guys will be a rotation fixture in the playoffs. Now that Marcus Morris has arrived in Orlando, he figures to take over the starting power forward spot, and between Morris’ likely big minutes and any time Kawhi Leonard takes at power forward in small-ball lineups, there’s only minutes for one backup power forward at most.

But what will be a crowded front court when the Clippers’ roster is intact is wide-open as scrimmage play begins. Not only do Green and Patterson have the chance to both get minutes at power forward as Morris eases his way back into the lineup, but they’re also the two most viable options to split minutes at center with Joakim Noah (though Rivers has hinted in the past that he’d like to try small-ball lineups with Morris at center). It’s not likely that anyone will play seriously heavy minutes during these scrimmages, but the openness in the current depth chart means that both will get plenty of run to both prove their superior fit as the team’s backup 4 throughout the bubble, as well as potentially convince Doc Rivers to incorporate small-ball lineups with one of them spacing the floor at center.

Beyond these scrimmages, we’re just over a week away from opening night against the Los Angeles Lakers on July 30th–a bit of déjà vu from Doc Rivers’ decision to start Patterson over Green and then-normal starter Moe Harkless way back when the 2019-20 season opened against the Lakers on October 22nd of last year. One of these two will need to use the July practices and scrimmages to pull ahead in Doc Rivers’ eyes.

Third String Wings

The general rule of thumb is that the less a game means, the more you’ll be able to see obscure players–like benchwarmers, prospects, two-way players–get real reps. So, when I was asked on some podcasts this weekend what to watch for in the Orlando scrimmages, my mind immediately went to the Clippers’ third-string perimeter players: Terance Mann, Rodney McGruder, and Amir Coffey.

Coffey and Mann, of course, are the two rookie wings the Clippers brought with them to Orlando, while McGruder is a more established veteran who has disappointed for the team after being an under-the-radar value signing last summer. The three of them make up a contingent of perimeter reserves who will support the Clippers’ continuing efforts to load manage Kawhi Leonard and limit the burden on their other core perimeter players as everyone’s body slowly returns to full conditioning. Beyond that, they make up the potential emergency players for Doc Rivers–like when someone rolls an ankle to start the fourth quarter of a playoff game and Doc Rivers needs a reserve to hold down the fort for two minutes before a starter can come back in to close the game.

Right now, you’d imagine that Rodney McGruder holds the advantage among these three. He’s the guy who is probably most likely to fill in for Landry Shamet until the sharpshooting guard can arrive safely in Orlando, as well as get rotation minutes on any nights when Leonard sits out. But given McGruder’s poor performances through much of the season, you have to imagine that he has something to prove in Orlando–and something to lose if either rookie shows competence and energy. The potential for either a McGruder redemption arc, or surprising emergence from one of the Clippers’ rookie wings, is what I’ll be keeping close tabs on in these scrimmages.

L.A. Clippers: What to Watch for in the Orlando Scrimmages
Lucas Hann

Due to an urgent family matter, Montrezl Harrell has departed the Orlando bubble, according to a report by The Athletic’s Shams Charania.

Harrell’s sudden departure follows the similar leave granted to New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson yesterday. The first overall pick from last year’s draft also left the bubble to attend to an urgent family matter.

According to ESPN:

If his absence lasts seven days or fewer, Williamson will quarantine for four days upon his return to the NBA bubble if he has a negative test each day he’s outside the bubble.

If he is gone longer than a week, he will still quarantine for four days if he has a negative test for the final seven days he is gone. If he doesn’t have the required testing, he will quarantine for 10 days.

Zion Williamson leaves NBA bubble for ‘urgent’ family matter, Andrew Lopez, ESPN

Of course, the top priority here is for Trez to tend to his family situation, with hopes that everyone is healthy and well upon his return to Orlando. In the meantime, the Clippers may have to make due with just newly-signed veteran Joakim Noah and power-forward-turned-small-ball-center JaMychal Green down low. Doc Rivers and company opted to leave not only two-way center Johnathan Motley, but also rookie big man Mfiondu Kabengele, behind in Los Angeles as they brought rookie wings Terance Mann and Amir Coffey to the Orlando bubble.

Normal starter Ivica Zubac is still not with the team for undisclosed reasons, and with this family matter, Montrezl Harrell could also potentially miss games. Fortunately, the Clippers are in a strong position into the standings heading into their eight Orlando “seeding games,” so they are well-equipped to let each player deal with their more pressing priorities as the organization looks ahead to the start of the NBA Playoffs on August 17th.

Due to family matter, Montrezl Harrell has departed Orlando bubble
Lucas Hann

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the L.A. Clippers are signing veteran free agent center Joakim Noah.

Noah, who turned 35 last month, had rebounded from a miserable late-career stint with the New York Knicks by being an effective backup center for the Memphis Grizzlies in 2018-19. Playing 16 minutes a night in 42 appearances after being picked up mid-season, Noah averaged 7.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2 assists per game, looking more like himself than he ever did in New York.

However, Noah reportedly suffered a career-threatening injury this summer, and his ability to return to the NBA was in question.

But for a Clippers team that needs another option to close games at center besides Ivica Zubac and Montrezl Harrell, the former defensive player of the year gives Doc Rivers a trustworthy situational center on the bench.

Noah fills the Clippers’ final roster spot–and if he contributes as much as fellow mid-season signee Reggie Jackson, the team will have addressed their roster weaknesses better than we could have hoped.

Report: Clippers Add Free Agent Center Joakim Noah
Lucas Hann