Name, position, height, weight, school/country, age
NICOLAS BATUM, F, 6-8, 230, France, 36
At 36, some players might be looking to wind down their careers. Batum, however, might not get the chance to rest easily this season, nor should he want to. The versatile Frenchman, who signed a new two-year contract in July, will be counted on heavily with the Clippers’ second unit. Despite his age, he showed he can still shoot – 43.7% overall and 43.3% from 3-point range – in 78 games last season.
BRADLEY BEAL, SG, 6-4, 207, Florida, 32
The veteran shooting guard has a career filled with highlights but also a laundry list of injuries that have hampered his play in recent years. Beal, who played the previous two seasons with the Phoenix Suns, has a 21.5 ppg career scoring average but he saw that dip last season after more injuries and a bench role reduced his court time. The Clippers aren’t looking at any of that, focusing solely on how Beal can help the backcourt in a starting role. He scored 12 points in his preseason debut against the Warriors last week.
BOGDAN BOGDANOVIC, SG, 6-5, 225, Serbia, 33
A midseason pick up last February, Bogdanovic has been hampered by lower back soreness from a tweak he suffered in the first two minutes of their preseason opener. He comes into this season amid a crowded backcourt and will be competing for minutes with Bradley Beal and Kris Dunn. He found minutes last season, appearing in 30 games with four starts.
KOBE BROWN G, 6-7, 250, Missouri, 25
This could be a make-or-be-traded season for Brown, a 2023 first-round draft pick. He needs to step up when he gets opportunities, although that could be difficult as he fights for playing time behind Derrick Jones Jr. and Nicolas Batum. His scoring average dipped last season from 7 ppg to 6.4 but his rebounding increased. He will need to do more if he wants to avoid the midseason trading block.
CAM CHRISTIE, SG, 6-6, 190, Minnesota, 20
Christie, a second-year player, had an outstanding Summer League, averaging 16.2 points, 5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2 steals in five games. But finding that kind of opportunity will be difficult on a veteran-laden roster as he is far down the depth chart.
JOHN COLLINS, PF, 6-9, 226, Wake Forest, 28
Collins came to the Clippers from the Utah Jazz as part of the three-team trade that sent Norman Powell to the Miami Heat. The rangy athletic forward gives the Clippers the kind of player they have long coveted – a power forward who possesses positional versatility and can present matchup problems for opponents. He averaged 19 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting 52.7% from the floor for the Jazz last season and looks to be the team’s fifth starter.
KRIS DUNN, PG, 6-3, 205, Providence, 31
Dunn, a journeyman guard, adds depth to the Clippers’ point guard spot behind James Harden and Chris Paul. Not known for his offense, he will be counted on again largely for the kind of defensive play that earned him playing time last season. He posted 6.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and a team-best 1.7 steals last season, helping the Clippers earn a No. 3 defensive rating.
JAMES HARDEN, G, 6-5, 220, Arizona State, 36
After carrying the team during Kawhi Leonard’s delayed season debut last season, Harden’s workload should decrease with the addition of Chris Paul, plus the return of Kris Dunn. The 11-time All-Star assumed a leadership role last season and is ready to take the mantle this season while continuing to make an impact on the court. But matching his 22.8 points and 8.7 assists a game could be tough given the amount of experience on the team.
DERRICK JONES JR., F, 6-6, 210, UNLV, 28
Jones returns with his entertaining, high-flying moves that marked his first season with the Clippers. Last season, he was able to carve out 10.1 ppg on 52.6% shooting and will be looking to match his stats in what could be a part-time starting role. He is expected to split time with another athletic forward, John Collins, and they have quickly become known as the “Bounce Brothers.”
YANIC KONAN NIEDERHAUSER, C, 7-0, 250, Penn State, 22
Niederhauser’s upside already has the basketball world talking. The rookie big man was the third-leading scorer in Friday’s preseason finale with 13 points to go along with 11 rebounds. The last pick in the first round of this year’s draft, he provides depth at the center position behind Ivica Zubac and Brook Lopez.
KAWHI LEONARD, F, 6-7, 225, San Diego State, 34
For the first time in two years, Leonard comes into the regular season healthy and showing none of the troublesome knee issues that have plagued him at times. He played a team-high 17 minutes – all in the first half – and scored a team-high 18 points on the strength of five 3-pointers in the team’s preseason opener. For starters, his play was encouraging. But will it last? Can he stay healthy? To ensure that, the Clippers strengthened their roster around Leonard to decrease his workload and look toward a deeper postseason push.
BROOK LOPEZ, C, 7-1, 282, Penn State, 37
Lopez didn’t wait for the regular season to show what kind of impact he is going to have this season, and it’s not just in giving starting center Ivica Zubac rest. The backup center, who started 80 games for Milwaukee last season, had 16 points and shot 4 for 5 from 3-point range in a preseason victory against the Sacramento Kings. His height and 3-point shooting enable the Clippers to stretch the floor, creating attack space for a player like Leonard, while providing rim protection.
*JORDAN MILLER, G, 6-5, 194, Miami, 25
Miller’s career has taken more turns than most, but his roller-coaster offseason caught him off guard. Months after securing a four-year, $8.3 million standard contract, the young guard was waived before Summer League started in July to free up salary cap space. Unable to find a suitor, Miller chose to stay and play for the Clippers’ Summer League team and then returned to the team on a two-way deal.
CHRIS PAUL, PG, 6-0, 140, Wake Forest, 40
No need to check your eyes – that is 40-year-old Paul back in a Clippers jersey. The future Hall of Fame point guard chose to return to where he made his biggest impact for his 20th NBA season, widely expected to be his last. Paul isn’t looking at this as some sort of early retirement, not when he can still dribble a basketball. He averaged 8.8 points and 7.4 assists in 82 starts for the San Antonio Spurs last season. This season, he will come off the bench behind fellow future Hall of Famer James Harden.
*KOBE SANDERS, 6-9, 207, Nevada, 23
Sanders made a case for minutes in the Clippers’ preseason finale last week – contributing 25 points, five rebounds, two assists and one steal in 37 minutes. The 2025 second-round pick who grew up in San Diego was selected with the 50th overall pick by the New York Knicks, who traded him in a draft-night deal. Sanders will split his time between the Clippers and the G League.
*JAHMYL TELFORT, F, 6-4, 227, Butler, 24
Telfort went undrafted but landed a deal with the Clippers and saw playing time in three preseason games, contributing nine points off the bench against the Warriors in the finale. His performance earned him a two-way deal. He played on the Clippers’ Summer League team, averaging 3.6 points in five games.
IVICA ZUBAC, C, 7-0, 240, Croatia, 27
Zubac is coming off a breakout season, recording his first triple-double and averaging career highs in points (16.8), rebounds (12.6), assists (2.7), and steals (0.7) per game. He earned All-Defensive Second Team honors and will again anchor the defense. With the addition of backup center Brook Lopez, Zubac should not have to play as many minutes as he did last season (32.8). He won’t like that, but it will help him avoid the wear and tear on his body and keep him fresher for the postseason.
* = two-way contract player