INGLEWOOD — For Chris Paul, this game will be more of a homecoming than another home opener.
As he walks out on the court at the Intuit Dome on Friday night to face the Phoenix Suns, the 20-year veteran point guard will no doubt see a host of new faces and plenty of old friends, those who remember his early days with the franchise.
Paul played six seasons with the Clippers (2011-2017) and, along with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, transformed the franchise from a comedic joke to annual playoff participants and title contenders. Paul’s reasons for returning to the team this summer were three-fold: a chance to play at home, the talent on this season’s roster and an opportunity to chase the NBA title that has eluded the future Hall of Famer and the Clippers.
“Being able to show up for your friends and your community. I realized how important that is to me,” Paul said this summer. “I played the game, and I love it, and when you watch me, I play with a different type of chip on my shoulder and a passion. But there’s an emptiness that I was missing. And so, I’m excited to really be back here and then to get a chance to play for the Clippers.”
But don’t expect any emotional speeches or tears. Paul is not the sentimental type, and he stated during his introductory press conference in late July that this season isn’t a retirement tour. At 40 years old, he still has more to give.
“I’ll definitely be happy and grateful to be here, but I’d be too locked in to really process what’s all happening,” he said this week.
Paul won’t be the only one setting aside warm and fuzzy feelings during Friday’s home opener. No one on the Clippers has time for sentimental journeys or nostalgia with Wednesday night’s embarrassing 129-108 season-opening loss to the Utah Jazz fresh in their minds.
The retooled, veteran-heavy roster appeared dysfunctional and slow-footed at times in a disappointing debut for a team with lofty goals. Turnovers and a lack of defense hurt them from the start, allowing the Jazz to pile up 78 first-half points.
“We were not able to get up in the pick-and-rolls at all,” center Ivica Zubac said. “We got into a bunch of rotations because of that. We gave up a lot of baseline drives that pulled us all in, opened up all of those shots and cuts. Yeah … defense was not on point tonight.”
Zubac led them with 19 points and seven rebounds and James Harden and Brook Lopez each scored 15 points. But two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard looked lost, finishing with a quiet 10 points on 3-of-9 shooting.
“It’s my job to keep Kawhi engaged in the game offensively,” Coach Tyronn Lue said. “He is our best player, and only having nine shots, I think only having four at halftime, that’s not good enough.
“So that’s what I’m talking about as far as just organization, getting to our spots, understanding what we’re trying to run. We gotta do a better job with that, so I’ll take responsibility.”
Paul said these early games are going to be a learning process for all of them as they continue to build chemistry as the season progresses.
“The only way you find out is to play the real game,” Paul said before the opener. “There’s always something we can work on, but I definitely think we’re ready. We are as ready as we are gonna be.”
SUNS AT CLIPPERS
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood
TV/Radio: FDSN SoCal, 1150 AM, 1220 AM