Derrick Jones Jr. Clears Injury Report, Giving the Depleted Clippers a Pulse

The Los Angeles Clippers getting a healthy player back feels like finding an extra onion ring in your fries. According to Underdog NBA, Derrick Jones Jr. is officially off the injury report for Wednesday's game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The high-flying forward has been sidelined since early January with a Grade 2 MCL sprain. Before his knee bent the wrong way in a nasty collision, he was giving the Clippers a highly functional 10.9 points per game and starting every night.

"Underdog NBA reported: 'Derrick Jones Jr. (knee) not listed on injury report for Wednesday.'"

Los Angeles desperately needs functional limbs right now. With Kawhi Leonard dealing with his usual lower-body mysteries and Bradley Beal recovering from a fractured hip, the Clippers' rotation has looked more like a hospital triage unit than an NBA roster.

Getting a bouncy, athletic wing back is a massive relief for a team just trying to survive the winter schedule. Jones recently completed a rehab stint in the G League to get his legs back under him.

FantasyPros notes he will likely be on a minutes restriction in his return. That means Nicolas Batum might finally get to sit down for a few minutes before his veteran legs completely turn to dust.

From a betting perspective, getting a starting wing back shifts the defensive matchups and total projections, even if you shouldn't expect Jones to play 35 minutes right out of the gate. Books will adjust the spread slightly just knowing the Clippers have another actual NBA rotation player available.

We will see how much lift he actually has on Wednesday night against Cleveland. If he can just run the floor and play defense without wincing, the Clippers might actually remember what it feels like to have a complete basketball team.