At the start of the Clippers’ most recent road trip, they were without Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Patrick Beverley. But Patrick Patterson, one of the team’s most reliable reserves, remained glued to the bench.
When I asked Ty Lue about that postgame, he said that there was no way to get Patterson on the court because the team’s big rotation was already intact. The Clippers had to stretch their perimeter depth by playing Reggie Jackson heavy minutes and even dusting off Amir Coffey.
The Clippers have found themselves in a similar situation in the last two games with both George and Beverley unavailable; Coffey wasn’t even an option this time around since he’s in the G League bubble.