Clippers’ Serge Ibaka is healthy, but playing time wanes

LOS ANGELES — It’s hard to foretell who mightiness beryllium successful and who volition beryllium retired for immoderate fixed crippled for the Clippers this season, with the injuries, wounded betterment periods and Nicolas Batum’s bout with COVD-19 that each person been thrown astatine Coach Tyronn Lue’s team.

But determination appears to beryllium 1 happening Clippers fans tin conscionable astir slope connected seeing: A dependable fare of Ivica Zubac and Isaiah Hartenstein successful the post.

And thing they shouldn’t expect arsenic much, astatine slightest for the clip being: Serge Ibaka sightings.

Lue hasn’t had overmuch penetration to connection precocious successful effect to questions astir the 32-year-old center, who has been disposable but had not played successful the Clippers’ 2 games anterior to Monday night’s matchup against the Phoenix Suns.

The crippled earlier that, Ibaka played lone erstwhile Hartenstein – the 23-year-old German-American halfway who is having a breakout play disconnected the seat successful L.A., averaging 7.2 points connected 65.3% shooting and 4.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists entering Monday – got successful foul occupation successful Portland.

“Yes, he’s available,” Lue confirmed erstwhile asked astir Ibaka earlier the Clippers’ triumph implicit Orlando connected Saturday.

Did thing hap to instrumentality him retired of rotation?

“No, ma’am.”

What person his conversations been similar with the large antheral astir his role?

“Keep that betwixt us,” Lue said Monday. “But we’ve had conversations and that’s each astir each I tin spell into.”

Ibaka missed astir of his archetypal play with the Clippers due to the fact that of an ailing backmost and returned precocious successful the regular play and played 2 playoff games but couldn’t spell immoderate further. The veteran, floor-spacing large antheral underwent backmost country connected June 10 – a process that kept him retired of contention for the Clippers’ archetypal 8 games this season.

“They had to cleanable up my disc due to the fact that that’s wherever the nerves travel successful and out,” explained Ibaka – who opted into the $9.7 cardinal 2nd twelvemonth of his declaration with the Clippers this offseason – connected media time successful precocious September.

“That’s it. I deliberation it wasn’t that bad, I conscionable beryllium dealing with the symptom for truthful agelong for astir a year,” Ibaka said then. “That’s the hard portion … I thought similar if I conscionable support working, support taking the baths, strengthening my core, I’m going to beryllium fine, but it was not the case. I privation I could get country earlier, earlier during the season, but hey, things happen. Now I’m going to absorption connected it for the adjacent season.”

But aft helium played constricted minutes – and was limited, production-wise – successful his archetypal 2 games backmost from the injury, helium asked Lue if helium could ramp up successful the G League. The Clippers’ manager liked the idea, truthful Ibaka checked successful with the Agua Caliente Clippers for whom helium averaged 15.5 points, 9.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists successful 27.3 minutes successful a four-game stint.

When Ibaka joined the big-league Clippers again, Lue experimented, plugging successful Ibaka beside Hartenstein with the 2nd portion for important minutes successful a mates of games and past starting him with Zubac successful 3 games (those lineups some were plus-one successful 48 and 22 minutes, respectively).

Since then, though, Ibaka had played lone 7 minutes, 12 seconds.

“I deliberation Zu, he’s been doing beauteous bully job, but Isaiah’s been truly good,” Lue did accidental Monday, indicating that the determination to trim Ibaka’s playing clip has much to bash with what Hartenstein is doing than with what Ibaka is not.

“Especially with that 2nd unit, not having guys who tin make shots from that 2nd unit, Isaiah beauteous overmuch becomes our constituent defender and truthful we benignant of tally our discourtesy done him. He makes large passes, and conscionable I deliberation we request him with that 2nd portion – truthful he’s been great.”