WAIKIKI, HI – The Los Angeles Clippers got Kawhi Leonard and Paul George back and suddenly looked good again! Despite falling to the Utah Jazz in their preseason debut, 101-96, the Clippers appeared to make some strides towards becoming the team they want to be this season.

1. Clippers Combat Size

The Utah Jazz started an interesting lineup with Collin Sexton, Talen Horton-Tucker, Lauri Markkanen, and Walker Kessler. The three big men, all 6-foot-9 or taller, created some problems for the Clippers early from a rebounding perspective.

With Leonard and George, two of the better rebounds at their positions, alongside Ivica Zubac, Terance Mann, and Bones Hyland, the Clippers were able to push the tempo well with the starters and even when the reserves checked in. LA lost the first-half rebounding battle, 23-19, but did lead 50-43 at the half.

2. No Restrictions in Camp

Paul George injury, Kawhi Leonard injury, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Clippers

For the first time since the camp entering the 2020-21 season, the LA Clippers opened up camp with their main group healthy and ready to practice. Both Leonard and George have been labeled as ready to go, even participating in some two-a-days throughout camp in Honolulu.

“I think Kawhi coming back, he was limited in practices and we couldn't really do two days and things like that because he was limited as well,” head coach Tyronn Lue told ClutchPoints. “So coming in, you know, everyone's healthy, 100%. You can have a hard camp, work on conditioning more, we can run more, we can play more. And so it has been a change in our camp. So nobody's been limited on these kind of things.”

Russell Westbrook and Nicolas Batum did not participate in the preseason opener against the Jazz, but that was only due to rest. Marcus Morris Sr. suffered a left groin strain at practice and could not play despite trying to give it a go. Brandon Boston Jr. suffered a left knee contusion about 30 seconds into the preseason and did not return.

3. Terance Mann at Power Forward

Terance Mann, the Clippers' Swiss Army Knife, joined the starting unit for the first time since being replaced by Russell Westbrook back in February after the All-Star break. There's a real case for Mann to be the final member in the starting lineup alongside Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Ivica Zubac.

“They did a great job,” Mann said of the starting lineup. “We did a great job scoring. We're just gonna figure it out, figuring out how to play with each other. But I think we played with each other plenty of times. So it wasn't too hard to figure it out. I think we got into a nice little groove offensively, but defensively, especially. I really like what we did.”

4. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George Are Back

Kawhi Leonard came out strong, capped off by a nice left-handed dunk in transition to put the Clippers up early in the first quarter. Leonard finished with 11 points, two rebounds, one assist, and two steals on 4-of-8 shooting. He was also a +7 on the night.

Paul George scored eight points, grabbed five rebounds, dished out two assists, and grabbed two steals in 15 minutes of play. Most of his offensive production came in the first quarter where he scored all eight of his points within a minute.

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5. Bones Hyland Starts Strong

Bones Hyland finished with a game-high 18 points, three rebounds, four assists, and two steals on 7-of-14 shooting from the field.

“I just love Bones' aggression,” Paul George said after the win. “I thought off the bounce him getting to his shots, getting to his points on the floor, his playmaking, his creativity. I know he's not a defensive guy, but he gives great effort on the defensive end and he's long, he's quick, he makes plays on both ends. we appreciate that from the guard spot so he'll tie in well with what we're doing.”

Bones Hyland can sore with he best of them, but this year will be about trying on the defensive end and playmaking.

The Clippers' next preseason game is against the