LOS ANGELES — Clippers center Brook Lopez started the season coming off the bench, seeing little time behind starting center Ivica Zubac, his minutes hovering in the 15- to 17-minute range.
Lopez logged just six minutes in a loss at the Orlando Magic in November and then found himself out of the rotation altogether for stretches this season.
His role expanded when Zubac sprained his left ankle when he inadvertently stepped on Lebron James’ foot in December, giving Lopez a shot at being a starter again. But when Zubac returned to the lineup, Lopez often found himself the odd man out behind rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser and Zubac.
Now, with Zubac having been traded to the Indiana Pacers, Lopez finds himself in the starting lineup, a place he anchored for much of his career. He started 466 of the 469 games he played with the Milwaukee Bucks for seven seasons, and 72 of 74 games he played in his one season with the Lakers (2017-18).
He will be back in the starting lineup Sunday when the Clippers (27-29) take on the Orlando Magic (29-25) at Intuit Dome.
Lopez, the Clippers’ unflappable 7-1 post player, isn’t bothered by the here-today, on-the-bench role he has experienced this season. He signed with the Clippers in the offseason with little expectations of a starting role.
“It’s just been about staying ready for me,” Lopez said after a 16-point, 10-rebound performance on Friday night against the Lakers. “Obviously, my goal is to help my team win by whatever means possible, so on a nightly basis, whatever’s required of me, I’m going to go out there and do it.”
Part of his game-ready preparation is keeping his 37-year-old body in peak condition, so Friday when John Collins suffered a head injury, Kawhi Leonard left the game because of stiffness in his left ankle and Bennedict Mathurin fouled out, the plays ran through him. Again, Lopez, an 18-year veteran, didn’t take notice.
“I’m comfortable in a lot of different roles,” Lopez, 37, said. “It’s something I got to do for a good decade in my career, so I’m confident doing that. Again, whatever’s required of me.”
One of those roles this season is serving as a mentor for Niederhauser, a 22-year-old center who is just starting his NBA career. He said the young player has done a lot of good things on the court, but like any player, he has made mistakes.
“The mistakes happen and you learn from them and you keep going because so many times people hang their heads or do this and that and they take themselves out of the game,” Lopez said of Niederhauser.
“Everyone makes mistakes in the game. LeBron (James) with all the time, grace (he has in the NBA), he made mistakes out there tonight, (but) just keeps going. Everyone’s got to do the same thing, and I think he’s done a great job of that.”
HIGH PRAISE FOR LEONARD
James, like his teammates and 18,000-plus at Crypot.com Arena, didn’t see Leonard at the end of the Lakers’ 125-222 victory against the Clippers on Friday night. Yet the NBA superstar has seen enough over the years to know what the Clippers are missing when their seven-time All-Star and two-time champion is off the floor.
“Kawhi’s awesome, man. He’s the best. He’s one of the best players ever. And I can care less about the injuries,” James said of Leonard’s well-chronicled knee and, of late, ankle issues.
Leonard did not finish Friday’s game, seemingly taking himself out of the game with 5:10 left after experiencing stiffness in his left ankle.
“There’s things you can’t control. You only can control the controllables and the things that he’s been controlling is how he comes back and how (much) perseverance he (has) every single time,” James said. “That guy’s awesome. I swear, I have nothing but great things to say about Kawhi and the type of basketball he’s been playing over the last couple months. I mean, he is who he is for a reason, so I’m not surprised by it.”
Orlando at Clippers
When: 6 p.m. Sunday
Where: Intuit Dome
TV/Radio: FDSN SoCal, KTLA (Ch. 5)/AM 570 KLAC
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