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LA Clippers forward Luc Mbah a Moute may not return this season

By Garrett Chorpenning

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 19: Los Angeles Clippers Forward Luc Mbah a Moute (12) looks on during a NBA game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Clippers on October 19, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 19: Los Angeles Clippers Forward Luc Mbah a Moute (12) looks on during a NBA game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Clippers on October 19, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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According to Dan Woike of the LA Times, LA Clippers head coach Doc Rivers does not know whether or not Luc Mbah a Moute will be able to return this season.

The LA Clippers have mostly been able to remain injury-free for the 2018-2019 regular season, but that isn’t without exception — especially when it comes to forward Luc Mbah a Moute.

Since signing with the Clippers on a one-year deal over the summer, Mbah a Moute has logged a mere 61 minutes for his former team this season. He last played on October 23 in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans.

Since then, Mbah a Moute’s status has been considered day-to-day while he deals with knee soreness. There have been several times when he’s supposedly been close to returning as well — just last week, the 32-year-old was considered a game-time decision against the Los Angeles Lakers. But it seemed clear to the team that he wasn’t able to play, and ever since, his situation seems to have worsened.

Mbah a Moute was ruled out once again for Tuesday night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, and before the game began, the media got some information about his status per Head Coach Doc Rivers.

According to the LA Times’ Dan Woike, Rivers said that he “[doesn’t] know if we’re going to have [Mbah a Moute] this season or not”.

This certainly isn’t a good sign for Clippers fans, since Rivers hasn’t been this explicit about Mbah a Moute’s return al season long. Up until this point, he’s never mentioned the possibility that the forward could be out for the season, and seemed to speculate that he would return in the near future.

It’s as puzzling an injury as you’ll see in professional sports, but fortunately the Clippers have seemed to fare well without him this year. Plus, the Clippers were finally able to have Wilson Chandler play significant minutes in Tuesday’s loss, taking over the role that Mbah a Moute would presumably have if he were to return.

Chandler, who came over to LA as part of the Tobias Harris trade, has appeared in 38 combined games this season for the LA Clippers and Philadelphia 76ers. His 6.6 points per game are a career-low, but given his inconsistent health and low number of minutes, it makes sense as to why he hasn’t looked entirely like himself.

If Mbah a Moute doesn’t return this season, it’s hard to imagine him earning another contract with the Clippers unless he takes the minimum. LA won’t want to make any significant moves that could compromise cap space, and betting on a player who missed 78 games the season prior with a concerning injury seems foolish.

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If Mbah a Moute does find a way to return this season, it’s likely that he’d be used in limited capacity unless the Clippers trust he can play significant minutes.