LA Clippers: Doc Rivers is treating scrimmages like preseason
LA Clippers coach Doc Rivers is treating the team’s scrimmages like preseason.
LA Clippers head coach Doc Rivers took time to speak to media today via Zoom today where he addressed several things including how safe he feels in the NBA bubble, coaches around the league meeting with each other, and most importantly, the team’s approach to the scrimmages.
In case you didn’t realize, we are just under a week away from the NBA starting back up. On July 22, the LA Clippers will face the “home” Orlando Magic in the first of three scrimmages before they play the first of their eight remaining regular-season games.
Reporters during the Zoom meeting with Rivers asked him just how he will look at these three scrimmages:
"Well, I think we should call them preseason games really, because other than the first game really where the minutes structure may be a little different, we have refs, right, and they’re 12-minute quarters. I think we made a mistake by calling them scrimmages. They’re probably preseason games, and that is up to each team to do whatever they want to do in them. I typically try a lot of stuff in those games just because it’s a different opponent."
What does that mean for the Clippers? “Newly” acquired players such as Joakim Noah, Marcus Morris, and Reggie Jackson may see increased playing time as they try and build up more chemistry with their teammates. It may also mean that players like Kawhi Leonard and Paul George won’t see the court much, if at all in some cases.
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Rivers will test out some things as he tinkers with the playoff rotations.
"Yeah, it’s pretty much we know who we want to play, but as far as the rotations and the minutes, I think that’s still a little bit in flux. We’ll see. The preseason games you kind of decide on what you’re going to do going by how you’re practicing."
Rivers is approaching these scrimmages with a smart mindset. He’s not using the games for just conditioning but to improve his own gameplan as well.
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The Clippers will be back on the court facing an opponent in just under a week and while it’s just a scrimmage, it still counts! Until then, make sure to keep checking back here for all your LA Clippers news, rumors, and more!