Clippers Opening Night Starting Lineup Prediction: Who Benefits From Injuries?

The Los Angeles Clippers kick off the 2026-27 season in less than two weeks when they host the Sacramento Kings at Intuit Dome. Their schedule immediately gets harder as they take on the Lakers twice, the Thunder, and the Timberwolves for the rest of the month. To make matters even more challenging for them, the Clippers are short-handed to start the season.

Earlier in training camp, Ty Lue said that there are starting spots up for grabs. Besides Darius Garland, who is the undisputed leader of this team, there are no guaranteed starters. This is especially true after several injuries were revealed during camp.

Brandon Ingram, Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Max Strus, and Jordan Miller are missing the start of the season. Miller will be out for months. Ingram and Konan Niederhauser are on their way back, but won't be ready until at least November. Strus will be re-evaluated in four weeks after he suffered a partial plantar fascia tear in the preseason opener.

That's at least four players who were expected to be in the rotation sidelined to begin the season. Moreover, Bradley Beal is still not practicing with the team as he is managing knee inflammation that flared up during his recovery from last year's hip surgery. If he is also unavailable, the Clippers will only have ten healthy players in the first week of the season.

This means that they will likely bring up Nick Martinelli and Jalen Pickett, their two players under two-way contracts. This is clearly not an ideal situation to be in before the grueling NBA season even starts, but the Clippers are still able to put out a respectable starting lineup.

As things stand now, the most likely starting group on October 21 against the Kings is:

PG: Darius Garland
SG: Kris Dunn
SF: Derrick Jones Jr.
PF: Rui Hachimura
C: Isaiah Jackson

After Garland, Rui Hachimura is probably the second-most obvious starter. He is the only true power forward on the team, and the Clippers desperately need his shooting.

Dunn and Jones Jr. are the two most experienced and proven veterans on the team. They are coming off solid seasons and have a ton of familiarity with Ty Lue. They are also the two best perimeter defenders on the Clippers, so they are a very good fit next to Garland and Hachimura.

Keaton Wagler has a chance to start as well, but he makes more sense off the bench. Going up against second units and getting more on-ball reps as Garland's backup is probably a better fit for him early in the season.

The biggest question for the starting lineup will be Isaiah Jackson vs. Brook Lopez. In the first preseason game, Jackson started. He has also been getting more of the first-team reps in practice. He gives this team a little more dynamism, mobility, and athleticism.

Lopez, on the other hand, is the more experienced name. He provides rim protection and three-point shooting. Each choice has its own pros and cons, but which direction Lue will go remains to be seen.

Depth will be a problem for the Clippers early on. There won't be too many proven, capable reserves available in the first games of the season. Therefore, the starting lineup will likely end up playing a ton of minutes together. For the Clippers to get off to a strong start, this starting five also needs to work. For the sake of Clippers fans, let's hope it does.

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