The Los Angeles Clippers are indeed looking good with their new recruits, but one of them may not yet be fully participating at training camp.
The player in mention is Lance Stephenson who, according, to reports is dealing with a minor groin tweak.
The good news is that the injury is nothing to be worried about. It is just that coach Doc Rivers will have to keep a close eye on the temperamental forward who is aching to rebound after a sorry stint last season with the Charlotte Hornets.
After unleashing an impressive season with the Indiana Pacers, Stephenson was one of the most sought after players during the 2014 off season. He eventually settled for the Hornets, but as everyone knows, he hardly made an impact.
Unimpressed, the Hornets decided to trade Stephenson to the Clippers in exchange for Matt Barnes and Spencer Hawes.
One of the reasons for his lack of exposure was Stephenson's bout with injuries. Although he was able to return, he simply wasn't the same player whom everyone saw in Indiana.
Unless his current injury turns out to be more serious than reported, Stephenson will likely get the chance to redeem himself with the Clippers this season, when he will be sharing small forward duties with Paul Pierce for the coming season.
Doc Rivers said the Clippers are taking it somewhat easy on Lance Stephenson because he is dealing with a groin tweak from about a month ago
— Ben Bolch (@latbbolch) September 26, 2015 " data-caption="null" data-credit="null">With reports of the injury, however, the question on who Rivers will start between the two may have already been answered. Unless Stephenson struts some stuff that convinces Rivers to start him by the time opening tip-off comes around, Pierce is likely to start at small forward.
Right now, Stephenson is expected at training camp but will be used sparingly. Aside from him, there are no other players reportedly with something alarming which should indicate that the Clippers are still looking good as they prepare for the 2015–15 NBA wars.
