The Clippers arrived in Orlando for the NBA bubble restart a week and a half ago, but are not yet at full strength. To be more specific, Ivica Zubac, Landry Shamet, and Marcus Morris have all not checked in to the Disneyworld facilities yet. Here’s a quick Clippers status update on those guys and when we might see some action.

Coach Doc Rivers has been firm in his stance that he will not discuss players who have not arrived in the bubble yet, and reiterated that position today. Therefore, there’s been no official update on these players in a few days. Here’s what we can assume will happen with them, and when they might rejoin the team.

Ivica Zubac was reported to not have arrived in Orlando last week, and was scheduled to come “eventually”. Now, eventually is not a promising timeline, but it does indicate that nothing serious enough has happened to compromise his return to the season. Additionally, Joakim Noah keeps getting linked to Zu as a mentor in the bubble, and that probably wouldn’t keep happening if plans for Zu to participate weren’t in progress. It’s not clear what’s going on with him, but he should be on his way at some point.

Landry Shamet is the most clear-cut of the absent players. He was reported to have tested positive for COVID-19 nearly two weeks ago, and needs to pass multiple tests with a “negative” before he can travel to Orlando. However, two weeks is the usual quarantine period for Coronavirus, so if all is well, he could be cleared to head out in the next day or two. No setbacks have been reported, and he reported a video about clanking wine glasses “real soon” on Instagram yesterday, so all seems good to go for him.

The most mysterious case is that of Marcus Morris, on whom nothing has been reported or noted outside of his absence in the bubble. He hasn’t posted on Instagram since June 19th, though he has been somewhat active on Twitter in the past couple days. It’s unclear what has kept him from Orlando, though his staying in a hotel and not having been settled into Los Angeles due to arriving at the trade deadline could have increased his chances of infection. No updates have been given at all, but there’s also been nothing to suggest he will be ruled out of the bubble, so there’s every chance he will be on his way shortly as well.

We will continue to keep you posted with any other Clippers status updates over the coming days. Hopefully Zu, Shamet, and Morris can join the team soon – scrimmages are just a week away, and while those are effectively preseason contests, it would be helpful to have the full squad present for as much as possible.

213Hoops is an independently owned and operated L.A. Clippers blog by Clippers fans, for Clippers fans. If you enjoy our content, please consider subscribing to our Patreon. Subscriptions start at $1 a month and support from readers like you goes a long way towards helping us keep 213Hoops sustainable, growing, and thriving.

Clippers Status Update: Marcus Morris, Ivica Zubac, and Landry Shamet
Robert Flom

Lucas Hann and Robert Flom of 213Hoops are joined by Mik Jaglin (The Jaguar) formerly of ClipCast to discuss the Woj suspension (suspension of Adrian Wojnarowski by ESPN), debate the merits of the NBA bubble in Orlando, review the seasons of the Clippers’ guards (including Landry Shamet and Paul George), and rank potential playoff opponents.

Check out the podcast here! Also, be sure to subscribe to TLTJTP on the podcast platform of your choice: it’s available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and more.

One of the topics discussed was preferred playoff opponents both for the Clippers and the rival Lakers. Let us know your own preferences for each of these matchups below, as well as your thoughts on the Woj suspension!

213Hoops is an independently owned and operated L.A. Clippers blog by Clippers fans, for Clippers fans. If you enjoy our content, please consider subscribing to our Patreon. Subscriptions start at $1 a month and support from readers like you goes a long way towards helping us keep 213Hoops sustainable, growing, and thriving.

TLTJTP: Woj Suspension and Clippers Guard Reviews
Robert Flom

Within half an hour, two NBA bombs were dropped – neither Wizards star Bradley Beal and leading Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie will be participating in the upcoming NBA restart in Orlando. Beal is opting out because of a shoulder injury, while Dinwiddie was advised not to play due to his testing positive again today. Both players have held reservations about the restart prior to this, which presumably effected their decisions at least a little, but this is still big news.

First of all, this does impact the Clippers schedule. The Clips are set to scrimmage against the Wizards, and without Beal (and second-leading scorer Davis Bertans), the Wizards will essentially put forth their youngsters and G-Leaguers in Orlando. It probably won’t be much of a scrimmage, and it’s doubtful how much the Clippers might take away from it (though getting pressed by the Wiz’ youngsters could be good).

More importantly, Dinwiddie’s absence means that the Clippers’ regular season against the Nets, already one of the easiest on their schedule, is now far and away their lightest matchup. If the Clippers come in with a serious mindset, they should blow the Nets off the map for an easy win.

There are other implications as well. Beal and Dinwiddie might have injuries (or have COVID), but they’re the two biggest names to opt out of Orlando thus far, and it could encourage other players to follow suit. The Clippers seem to be all set on going, but more players dropping out could make their road ahead that much easier.

Finally, while Dinwiddie’s situation is much different than Landry Shamet (the Nets are an also-ran 8th seed, while the Clips are title contenders), his doctors’ precaution in holding him out of Vegas might tie to Shamet as well. We don’t know how serious Shamet’s case is (and we hope and pray that it’s completely or virtually asymptomatic), but the long-term impact of playing on or recently after the disease is completely unknown. If Dinwiddie’s doctors and support preach caution, it’s possible (and not unwise) for Shamet’s to do the same. We will just have to wait and see.

Bradley Beal and Spencer Dinwiddie Opt Out of Orlando Restart
Robert Flom

Lucas Hann and Robert Flom are joined by 213Hoops staffer Joey Linn to discuss the signing of Joakim Noah, reminisce on the one-year anniversary of the arrivals of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and chat about the 2020 seasons of the Clippers point guards.

Download the podcast here, or listen to us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

TLTJTP: Joakim Noah Signing and a Review of Clippers’ 2020 Point Guards
Robert Flom

Two days ago, Woj broke the news that a member of the Clippers traveling party had tested positive for COVID19, forcing the closure of the Clippers’ practice facility. Not great, certainly.

Today, Shams Charania of The Athletic broke the news that Clippers guard Landry Shamet has tested positive for COVID-19, and won’t be traveling with the Clippers to Orlando this upcoming week.

First and foremost, we hope that Landry Shamet is doing well, and that he will make a complete recovery from this terrible illness. Second, hopefully he’s been careful in his interactions with others (Clippers-adjacent or otherwise), and has not spread the disease further.

As for how this will effect the Clippers – we really have no idea at this stage. The standard quarantine period for COVID-19 is two weeks, so assuming that Shamet tested positive today or yesterday, he will presumably be in isolation in Los Angeles until July 18 or so. That means he will miss most of the Clippers training camp in Orlando, at the very minimum. Depending on his recovery, and at what point he consistently tests negative for the disease, he might miss some of the Clippers’ early scrimmages as well.

Most NBA players who have tested positive for Coronavirus have shaken off the disease easily enough, but it’s an awful infection that has long-lasting consequences. Providing that Shamet does recover in time for Orlando, it’s still possible that his lung capacity or reduced, or that he will have lost weight and strength in the interim. Therefore, he might not be quite himself in Orlando, again presuming he does recover in time to play at all (which he should). If Landry does miss games, or is limited in minutes, that will probably open the door for Rodney McGruder to get more playing time than he might have otherwise.

Again, our best wishes to Landry Shamet on a swift and complete recovery from COVID-19. We will continue to update on this story as it develops in the coming days and weeks.

Landry Shamet Has Tested Positive for COVID-19, Per Shams
Robert Flom

Basic Information

Age: 23

Height: 6’4

Weight: 188 pounds

Position: Shooting guard

NBA Experience: 1 year

Key Stats: 9.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 0.4 steals in 27.5 minutes per game across 47 games played (27 started), on 41.6/39.2/90.5 shooting splits.

Contract Status: Shamet is in the second year of a four-year standard 1^st round rookie contract. The third year has already been picked up, and the fourth is a team option that the Clippers are a lock to pick up as well.

Expectations

Expectations for Landry Shamet were exceptionally high after his rookie season. He hit one of the most clutch shots in Clippers history in the playoffs to cap the Clips’ massive comeback against the Warriors in Game 2 of the first round, and proved his mettle in high-stakes matchups time and again. His incredible shooting, hints of playmaking, and sometimes sturdy defense had Clippers fans dreaming of a breakout season where Shamet advanced from capable rotation player to future star, either as an off-ball threat ala Klay Thompson or as a pull-up point guard shooter along the lines of Damian Lillard. I wrote back in August about the kind of things that Landry might be able to do or improve to have such a glorious sophomore campaign, and while it was certainly optimistic, there was plenty of thinking that Shamet was ready for a big step forward.

Reality

The reality, unfortunately, has been somewhat disappointing. Landry hasn’t been bad by any means. He has, however, turned in a second season that looks frighteningly similar to his rookie campaign. Examining his raw stats, they’ve nearly all decreased (though by very small amounts) – rebounds, assists, steals, and points have decreased from their 2019 levels. The advanced stats tell a similar story, as Shamet’s BPM and RPM have dropped while his WS/48 has ticked up marginally. Essentially, the stats say that Shamet has been virtually the same player this season as he was last season.

The eye test told much the same story. Watching Landry play this past season, he simply didn’t seem to have improved tangibly in any way. His defense was much the same, he didn’t handle any more ball-handling or playmaking despite a much-ballyhooed switch to more of a point guard role, and he remained a largely one-dimensional threat on offense. There were few three-point shots off the dribble, rare drives to the basket, and only occasional flashes as a defender or rebounder. Sometimes Landry would make a hard dribble move or juke out a defender that hinted at more of an off-the-dribble presence, but those moments were never followed through consistently.

Most disappointingly, Landry regressed as a three-point shooter from his stunning rookie season. He declined from an incredible 45% on 6.0 attempts per game to 39.2% on 5.7 attempts. Now, his previous mark might be unrealistic – as noted in the linked piece above, it was historically good for a rookie. However, while 39% on decent volume is still a very good NBA shooter, it’s not game-changing. Fans wanted Shamet to take a leap in volume (8 threes a game was commonly thrown around) or maintain his percentages at a similar volume, but he stepped back in both areas. While it’s quite possible this will be a one year blip as a shooter, there’s now a possibility that Shamet will be merely an excellent NBA shooter rather than an all-timer.

Future With Clippers

All that said, there’s still plenty of time for this thinking on Shamet to change. He dealt with an injury earlier in the season, and injuries can throw off the seasons of even veteran superstars, much less young up-and-comers. With plenty of time to rest and heal, Landry could come back breathing fire down the stretch run and into the playoffs. He’s a lock to get real minutes in the postseason, and if the Clippers have a deep run, he will gain invaluable experience at the highest level of the NBA. Some big three-balls by Shamet in the playoffs will assuredly make fans more likely to overlook his somewhat disappointing season.

In the long run, Shamet’s future remains bright. He’s cheap and cost-controlled by the Clippers over the next few seasons, and is a malleable fit on the basketball court. Because of that, it is likely that he remains a Clipper, although that very value means he could fetch a hefty return on the trade market. If the Clippers decide they want a 3^rd star to pair with Kawhi and Paul George, it is possible Shamet is dealt in the exchange as the blue-chip prospect needed to push the deal to completion. However, in all likelihood, Clippers fans can get used to seeing Landry around for many years to come.

2019-2020 LA Clippers Check-In: Landry Shamet
Robert Flom

I had my own version of an All-Star break this weekend, as I went to Mexico for my brothers bachelor party. I am unwell. I learned about Mezcal (like Tequila except better hangovers). When you have been drinking for about three days straight, no matter how well your liver filters out the booze or what you are drinking, you ain’t gonna feel 100%. Today has been slightly brutal.

But as we all know, ball don’t sleep. I ended up watching the All-Star game via Reddit Streams on choppy Mexican wifi while passing around Mezcal and talking mad ish with the mostly Laker fans assembled from my brothers friend group. Twas a fun time. Especially when you factor in the fact that Kawhi Leonard won the games MVP and shot the absolute lights out.

In listening to Bill Simmons’ podcast the day after, he joked that Clipper fans should be mad that we see Kawhi go all out in what is realistically an exhibition game, when he load manages real games. He also said he was “out” on Landry Shamet as a player of impact for the Clippers. The disrespect is real. Despite being a longtime season ticket holder, Bill seems to get this team wrong a lot. Especially this year.

What Landry has brought to the table the past month and a half has been high level shooting, impressive ball handling and a lack of fear. You can make the argument that while Paul George (then Patrick Beverley) was out, he was the second or third best player on the floor for the Clippers on any given night. At 22. And undersized. And without a super “defined” position. All Landry does is come in, shoot the lights out, play D to the best of his efforts, handle the ball surprisingly well and not make many mistakes. If you are “out” on that every night, then I don’t know what to tell ya Bill. 

Secondly, no one in #Clippernation is mad at seeing success for any of its players. Load management is a necessary tool for Kawhi and his long-term knee health. I’m straight with him taking as much time he needs during the regular season to perform in May and June. If anything, tonight showed that when the lights are at it’s brightest and the competition is at its highest, Kawhi comes to ball. Expect more of that this summer, people.

Let’s take a look at where the NBA media places the Clippers in their weekly power rankings.

NBA.com

This week: 7, Last week: 5

Notes: “More concerning than the Clippers going 1-3 (and allowing almost 120 points per 100 possessions in the three losses) on their trip before the All-Star break is that the trip ended with Paul George in the TD Garden locker room, dealing with more pain in his left hamstring. There are still eight weeks left in the regular season and the Clips don’t have a back-to-back until mid-March, but it remains unclear if they’ll get an extended stretch with a healthy core between now and April 18.

The Clippers rank sixth defensively overall and have had the league’s best defense in games against the league’s 13 best offenses. But they couldn’t get the stops they needed down the stretch in Boston on Thursday and rank 28th in clutch defense, having allowed their opponents to score 117 points per 100 possessions with the score within five points in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter or OT.

Marcus Morris has taken 32 shots with the Clippers, and 26 of those 32 have come from outside the paint. The most confounding of those shots was his mid-range pull-up over an Al Horford contest when the Clippers came out of a timeout late in a close game and had Morris iso against a good defender with George and Kawhi Leonard on the floor and no movement away from the ball. Morris has scored 0.96 points per possession on isolations, a mark which ranks 27th among 71 players with at least 50 isolation possessions this season.”

ESPN

This week: 6, Last week: 6

Notes: “The Clippers have played 2,655 minutes this season. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have played just 572 of those together. And now Paul George has reinjured his troublesome hamstring, which could cause him to miss a little more time. The Clippers’ primary goal down the stretch is simple: Get the top eight rotation players as healthy and as jelled as possible. Because in those 572 minutes that Leonard and George have shared, the Clippers are a plus-9.6 points per 100 possessions.”

Bleacher Report

This week: 8, Last week: 6

Notes: “Deadline acquisition Marcus Morris Sr. closed at center in Tuesday’s 110-103 loss to the Sixers, and he wasted no time bringing some edge to the Clippers. He got into a dustup with Joel Embiid, which, given their history, was to be expected. Morris will have to do more than scrap with his long list of enemies to make a real difference in Los Angeles. Job No. 1 should be keeping the ball moving (long a challenge for him) and embracing a more limited role than he played with the Knicks.

If the hamstring strain that forced Paul George out of Thursday’s game against the Celtics lingers, Morris could get a healthy share of shots. But when L.A. is fully healthy, he’ll have to make the most of fewer looks while defending across several positions. The Clips lost three of their last four games prior to the All-Star break and have fallen a game behind Denver for the West’s second seed.”

CBS Sports

This week: 9, Last week: 6

Notes: “The Clippers lost road games to the 76ers and Celtics this week, and they still seem far from the finished product that many expect to contend for a title this season. Paul George struggled mightily from the field against the Sixers, going 3 for 15, then re-aggravated his hamstring injury against the Celtics, missing the final two quarters and overtime periods. The Clippers surely think they’ll be fine once they have a full roster, but it would be nice to see it for more than a handful of games before the playoffs start.”

NBC Sports

This week: 5

Notes: “Congratulations to Kawhi Leonard on winning the first Kobe Bryant All-Star Game MVP Award. Leonard was surprisingly open in talking about his relationship with Kobe and how much winning the award meant to him. Now, it’s back to trying to build some chemistry with the Clippers, where Paul George is sidelined again because of injury.”

Power Rankings Watch: How Are The Clippers Faring In Week 18?
Chris Murch