INGLEWOOD — Finally, after weeks of watching his Clippers teammates go through drills, run lines and shoot baskets, Kobe Sanders got his chance to join them on the court.
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The second-year guard went through another full team practice on Saturday after suffering a hip impingement that sidelined him all of training camp and the three preseason games.
And it was good. And bad.
“It’s been awful. I mean, watching every practice, watching every preseason game, just wanting to get out of there has been awful,” Sanders said. “I mean, just to see how the team’s coming together and the camaraderie, I’m loving that so far.
“So, it’s been good to be on the bench and bring energy, but now I’m ready to get out there.”
Sanders is eager to resume his burgeoning career after starting 16 of 68 games as a rookie last season. He averaged 7.3 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 0.7 steals while shooting 40.8% from 3-point range.
Sanders, who will be available for Wednesday’s regular-season opener against the Sacramento Kings, said it might take a while before he matches those numbers, though.
“First couple days back, I’m still getting into rhythm and everything, trying to catch my wind, find the nuances in the offense and everything,” Sanders said. “But it was good to be back out there, put some sweat equity with these guys and be back out there.”
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Sanders said he suffered the injury on the first day of training camp when he slipped on the court during a workout. He called it a “freak accident.”
Coach Tyronn Lue said Sanders “looked pretty good. He’s comfortable. So that’s another piece that we can use.”
JACKSON TO START AT CENTER
Lue wouldn’t say who all the starters will be for Wednesday’s opener but did confirm that Isaiah Jackson will start at center.
Jackson’s appearance in the opening-night lineup isn’t a complete surprise. The 6-foot-8 athletic post player was the starter for two of the Clippers’ three preseason games. Brook Lopez started against the Toronto Raptors.
Lue said Jackson gives the team a true “lob threat.”
“Now you got corner skips, a chance to open up more 3-point attempts,” Lue said. “So, I think it will be good for us. I think we had to outrun most centers just in transition (last season) and now centers are cross match. And so that’s what we got to continue to keep preaching guys is just really speed, get quick into your advantage.”
Jackson played in 17 games last season – none of them starts – after coming to the Clippers in the trade that sent Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers. He averaged 7.5 points and 4.6 rebounds in 15.9 minutes per game and had 20 blocked shots and 10 steals.
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