The Los Angeles Clippers are just a few weeks away from kicking off their 2025-26 NBA season. While a lot of the attention has focused on the scandal surrounding Kawhi Leonard, Steve Ballmer, and their alleged no-show deal to duck the salary cap, the Clippers are still hoping to trot out a competitive team this year before the potential punishments come raining down.
One of the big additions for the Clippers ovre the offseason was shooting guard Bradley Beal, who was bought out of his contract with the Phoenix Suns, which was widely considered to be among the worst in NBA history.
Recently, head coach Tyronn Lue spoke on what his starting lineup will be this year on opening night, and didn't exactly give the most clear-cut answer.
“Tyronn Lue says that Bradley Beal will start (and he) ‘Can’t remember' on John Collins and declines to share full starting lineup,” reported Law Murray of The Athletic on X, formerly Twitter.
Beal figures to start alongside Leonard, James Harden, Collins, and Ivica Zubac. Los Angeles will also have some solid talent coming off the bench, with players like Nic Batum, Kris Dunn, Chris Paul, Derrick Jones Jr., and Bogdan Bogdanovic being at Lue's disposal in the rotation.
Can the Clippers compete?
In theory, the Los Angeles Clippers should still have a good bit of time before any potential punishment comes down from the Leonard situation, so they'll want to keep their focus on the basketball court as much as possible heading into this year.
The Clippers' lineup, both starting and bench, is undeniably old (though not Golden State Warriors old), and the team will have to be careful about how it divvies up minutes so as not to burn out some of the key players during the regular season.
However, when healthy, the Clippers figure to have a good balance of perimeter playmaking, shooting, and rim protection in the form of Zubac, who turned himself into one of the NBA's best defensive big men last year.
The Clippers will kick off their season on October 22 against the Utah Jazz.
