The Clippers' New Starting Lineup Looks Like a Glitched 2K Simulation
The Los Angeles Clippers are rolling out a bizarre starting five of Darius Garland, Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., Rui Hachimura, and Brook Lopez against the Suns.
HotTakes Editorial TeamUpdated 2 min read
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The Clippers are rolling out a starting five of Darius Garland, Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., Rui Hachimura, and Brook Lopez on Tuesday night against the Suns. If you showed this lineup to a basketball fan three years ago, they would assume you were playing a random 2K MyLeague draft where the salary cap was turned off and the AI just panicked.
According to Underdog NBA, this is the actual, real-life starting five head coach Ty Lue is deploying to try and salvage a season that is already teetering on the edge of the abyss. The Clippers are currently sitting at 2-7 and 13th in the Western Conference, looking less like a superteam and more like a collection of guys who all got off at the wrong bus stop.
"Lineup alert: Clippers will start Garland, Dunn, Jones Jr., Hachimura, Lopez on Tuesday. - @UnderdogNBA"
To be fair, this exact group of basketball survivors just managed to snap a brutal seven-game losing streak on Sunday. They hung 139 points on the New Orleans Pelicans, with Garland dropping 24 points and 10 assists while Lopez somehow turned back the clock for 20 points of his own.
Garland has been the lone bright spot in this fever dream of a season, averaging 21.2 points and 7.0 assists per game. From a betting perspective, books are going to have a nightmare pricing player props for a rotation that features Dunn playing heavy minutes and Jones Jr. trying to find his legs after recently returning from an MCL sprain.
It is objectively hilarious that a franchise that spent half a decade mortgaging its entire future for superstar wings is now relying on a 38-year-old Brook Lopez and Kris Dunn to save the day. This is the kind of roster construction that happens when a front office just starts clicking "accept trade" on every incoming email.
We will see if this island of misfit toys can keep the momentum going on Tuesday night in Phoenix. If they somehow pull off an upset against the Suns, we might have to accept that Ty Lue is actually a wizard, or at least that the simulation is fully broken.
Key stats
Key statsThe Clippers are currently 2-7 and 13th in the Western Conference.
Darius Garland is averaging 21.2 points and 7.0 assists per game this season.
The Clippers recently snapped a 7-game losing streak by scoring 139 points against the Pelicans.
What's next
The Clippers will test this lineup against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night to see if their recent offensive explosion was a fluke or a genuine turning point.
