Lucas Hann and Robert Flom of 213Hoops are joined by special guest Dave DuFour of the Athletic to deliver a wide-ranging preview of the Clippers-Lakers seeding game. In the process, they delve into matchups, rotations, coaching strategies, and anything else that might play into a potential seven-game playoff series between the two powerhouses.

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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: Lakers Game Preview & Playoff Discussion
Robert Flom

After a mid-season break that lasted over four months, the NBA will officially return to action tomorrow as the Clippers and Magic scrimmage in Orlando. Each of the 22 teams participating in the NBA’s Orlando bubble restart will play three scrimmage games before regular-season “seeding” games begin next week.

Game Information

Where: Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando, Florida

When: Wednesday, July 22, 2020 @ 3 PM ET

How to Watch: Prime Ticket, Fox Sports West

Projected Starting Lineups

Orlando: Markelle Fultz – Wesley Iwundu – James Ennis – Aaron Gordon – Nikola Vucevic

Clippers: Patrick Beverly – Paul George – Kawhi Leonard – JaMychal Green – Joakim Noah

Injuries

Orlando: TBA

Clippers: Ivica Zubac (absent); Montrezl Harrell (family matter); Landry Shamet (illness)

The Big Picture

It feels self-important to break down this scrimmage beyond the obligatory I am so glad that that NBA is back sign of relief, but I do believe we will learn a few key things during this match up between the Clippers and Magic.

Primarily, we will get to see the team: we’ll see who looks like they quarantined in a closet, without access to a gym, and those who were on the apparent Kawhi-plan, who the Clippers feared was working out too hard. Moreover, as Paul George highlighted to the press on Saturday, the Clippers’ overall health ought to look better. 

It will also be interesting to see what the Clippers have in Joakim Noah, who is the only Clippers center currently in Orlando. There was a strategically posted picture of Noah, in which he looks in great shape, but Doc Rivers will eventually need him to be able to compete with dangerous Western Conference bigs on the Lakers and Nuggets.

Ultimately, the Clippers need to come out of this scrimmage healthy and avoid anything that creates a distraction. The teams have, understandably, been secretive about what has been going on internally. With so many logistical components, the team has its hands full with getting their roster together; there is not much capacity, I would imagine, for drama or rumors.

This is a scrimmage, so we can reasonably hope that there will not be too much made of a win or a loss. I am nervous, however, to see the general timing of the Clippers’ offense. Specifically, with so much of the offense happening off of pick-and-roll or off-ball actions, there will be plenty of room for error, given that the team has been apart for so long.

Sure, the Clippers have a few great isolation players, but they will need to maximize their more sophisticated actions by the time the playoffs start. The Clippers missing an opprotunity to run these motions with Harrell and Zubac on the floor is unfortunate.

Notes

• Center: What is going on at center is above our heads; we will, however, get to see in these scrimmages what the Clippers plan to do if Zubac or Harrell are (god forbid) not available going forward. Noah, as previously stated, will have a chance to show if he still has gas in the tank. The team will be shorthanded as the Clippers and Magic scrimmage tomorrow in Orlando, but will hopefully get their normal big men back into the lineup soon.
• How deep can the Clippers go?: As Lucas noted in a recent post, we will likely get a chance to see the “third-string perimeter players” for extend time in this scrimmage. Obviously, Doc will be looking for backup plans in case Shamet is not able to rejoin the team soon, but this will also be an opprotunity see how deep his rotation can go in the playoffs. With such a unique playoff situation, I would not be surprised if the depth of teams proves most valuable.

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.

Game Preview: Clippers and Magic Scrimmage in Orlando
Kenneth Armstrong

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

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