Signed, sealed, and delivered! Officially joining the Clippers! Scored 53 points in the G League.

103-88 Lakers, 128-108 Rockets, 119-103 Trail Blazers.

The Clippers have stopped sinking and are now floating, pushing forward at full throttle. With a 9-21 record, they rank 13th in the West, 2.5 games behind the 10th-seeded Trail Blazers.

There’s more good news: starting wing Jones will return for the Clippers’ home game against the Eastern Conference leaders, the Pistons. He has been sidelined since November 16 due to a medial collateral ligament sprain. This season, he’s averaged 10.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game.

Whoa, could it be that the Clippers are once again launching a northern march?

The most awkward situation during the Clippers’ three-game winning streak is with Zubac, who has been out since the 21st of this month with a grade 2 left ankle sprain. Meanwhile, the team has surged ahead, with 37-year-old veteran Lopezi hitting 9 three-pointers and scoring 31 points in the game against the Trail Blazers.

In modern basketball, stretch big men have more appeal and development potential than traditional centers. That’s why the Trail Blazers often position Yang Hansen at the three-point line for development. However, this season he’s only made 1 out of 16 three-point attempts, shooting just 6.3%.

Back to the point, no matter what, the Clippers are currently short on players,Recently, they officially signed TyTy Washington on a two-way contract. During his time with the San Diego Clippers (G League), he averaged 17.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.5 steals per game, with key shooting percentages of 46.5% overall and 41.1% from three.

Washington, born on November 15, 2001, is a 1.91-meter tall combo guard. He was the 29th pick in the first round of the 2022 draft. Before joining the Clippers, he played for the Rockets, Bucks, and Suns, mostly in the G League, with a single-game high of 53 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists.

With Beal out for the season due to a hip injury and Bogdanovic’s left hamstring injury timeline uncertain, the Clippers’ backcourt is plagued by injuries, leaving only Harden and Dunn available. Bringing in Washington is a precautionary move.

In short, tanking is out of the question. Since the Clippers’ unprotected first-round pick next year belongs to the Thunder, they have no choice but to push forward at all costs to make the playoffs. There’s simply no other option.