Rowan Kavner
PLAYA VISTA, Calif. – The Clippers could once again be without their starting backcourt Saturday against the Magic.
Head coach Doc Rivers said Chris Paul will be out “for sure,” while J.J. Redick could also sit out.
“I think (Redick) will be out, but we’ll see,” Rivers said Friday. “He’s going to try to do some stuff today, I know that. But he’s going to have to be really healthy for me to play him.”
Neither guard has had much luck with injuries this season. Chris Paul injured his ribs and missed the majority of the second half Monday against the Trail Blazers before sitting out Wednesday’s loss to the Pacers, while Redick sprained his ankle on the Clippers’ first play of the game Wednesday and didn’t return.
Earlier in the year, Paul missed three games with a groin injury, while Redick also missed three games earlier in the season with back spasms. The Clippers are 1-3 in games without Paul and, including Redick’s absence for nearly all 48 minutes Wednesday against Indiana, 1-3 in games without Redick.
“It’s going to affect your team, but that shouldn’t stop your team from going out and performing and performing well,” Rivers said. “I thought the other night we played hard, we just didn’t play very well. We have to play well too.”
Rivers said losing the two players doesn’t change the Clippers’ process, despite the players both playing key roles, particularly on offense. Rivers said every team goes through injuries, and the Clippers have to find ways to play well without Paul and Redick.
“The CP and J.J. dynamic, that takes a lot out of your offense,” Rivers said. “Takes a lot of movement, a lot of shooting, a lot of know-how, a lot of experience. But it may be a silver lining somehow, not for them, but for the other guys maybe learning their way a little faster.”
Rivers complimented what Redick’s done as a member of the Clippers, saying there’s only four or five players in the league who provide his movement and shooting abilities, but there’s an energy component to the way Redick plays which the Clippers also miss with him out.
One key will be the play of Blake Griffin, though the forward said it’s important he doesn’t try to do too much.
“I think we have guys that are very capable of stepping up and filling those voids,” Griffin said. “Everybody just has to play within the system and play within what we do. Sometimes, I have to be a little bit more aggressive on offense.”
Jamal Crawford said no one person can fill in when both of the starting backcourt players are out. The Clippers need to pick up the slack by committee.
“It’s got to be a next-man-up mentality,” Crawford said. “Obviously at different points over the last few years we’ve played without one of those guys, without myself, without Blake, and everybody’s always done a good job stepping up. We know when guys like that go out, it has to be by committee. It won’t just be one person.”
