LOS ANGELES, CA – The LA Clippers starting point guard spot is still up for grabs, with Reggie Jackson and John Wall still vying for that position. With about two weeks left until opening night, head coach Tyronn Lue still doesn't know who he plans to start.

Speaking at an open practice at USC's Galen Center on Thursday night, Lue said the competition between the two is still open. The determining factors? To start: fit.

“I think which guy fits better with the first unit and which guy fits better with the second unit, and who plays well together,” Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said at practice. “It’s not about who’s the best player, it’s about what’s the best fit for our team to win and be successful, and so that’s what I’m looking for.”

Another factor that may go into who starts at point guard, at least to start the season, is availability, and not strictly from an injury perspective. Last season, Tyronn Lue and the Clippers struggled to put out the same lineup nightly due to injuries and heath and safety protocols. While everyone is healthy coming into this season, the team have insisted on wanting to load manage Kawhi Leonard and John Wall as they return from extended absences.

“We got to make sure his health is the most important thing,” Lue said of the team having to hold back Wall at times as part of his ramp up process. “As good as he feels, we want him to continue to feel well. We don’t want him to get out playing a lot of minutes early on, playing a lot of back-to-backs early on and going back the other way. Our goal is to make sure he is healthy going into March and April being healthy. That is our main goal. 

Despite what Lue and the team have said, John Wall insists he's healthy and ready to do whatever the team needs him to.

“When I step in between those four lines, I just go after it,” Wall explained. “That’s the problem with me sometimes. Everybody thought I was injured last year. I was healthy, I just didn’t play because both sides agreed to an agreement to what they wanted to do, but for me they're having to tell me sometimes in practice to slow down. You see it. I just got one motto, if I’m out there, I’m playing. I like to complete, I like to go at it, I like to guard the best player. You see me some days I’m guarding Kawhi and PG when we split teams up and that’s just my nature as a competitor, that’s always willing to go out there and fight.”

With five back-to-back sets before November's end, will Lue be able to find the lineups and rhythm he wants if guys are going to be in and out frequently due to rest?

Reggie Jackson started for the Clippers in Monday night's preseason matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers in Seattle, Washington. Jackson and John Wall both played 14 first half minutes, with Wall coming off the Clippers bench.

Wall has only come off the bench 12 times in his 650-game career, including 37 playoff appearances. There's a legitimate chance Wall will be the Clippers point guard off the bench behind Jackson.

“It’ll be different for me,” Wall said on potentially coming off the bench. “I only did it a couple times in my career and that was coming back from injury, but like I never really played with P (Paul George) and Kawhi (Leonard) yet in practice so hopefully the next couple days before our next game I get the opportunity to feel it out.”

Despite his familiarity and comfortability with being the starting point guard, John Wall insists coming off the Clippers bench is not something that matters to him.

“For me, I’m just happy to play basketball again. I’m a competitor, I know a lot of people ask me, ‘are you mad if you start or not start?' I don’t care. I’m a competitor and I just want an opportunity to go out there and compete for a spot and if I get it, I get it. And if I don’t, we know how talented Reggie Jackson is and what he’s done for this team and helping these guys out, especially when Kawhi and PG was out. Even when they was there, he’s a great piece.

“Whoever gets the spot is great. We all just come here with one goal and trying to win a championship. But I think it’s exciting man, I get to come back and play, it’s not really too much for me to do, just go out there and play my game and Kawhi’s coming back so I think it’s going to be fun.”

The Clippers will get their first taste of John Wall at starting point guard alongside Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on Sunday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.