Clippers' Injury Concerns Worsen After Latest Bogdan Bogdanovic News

The Los Angeles Clippers are running out of bodies in the backcourt.

Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Clippers are running out of bodies as we approach the halfway mark of the season. Even though they have righted the ship by winning seven of their last eight games, the Clippers are dealing with significant injury concerns that could derail their season.

Things hit a new low for the already short-handed Clippers on Monday night when James Harden was ruled out with a shoulder injury. The Clippers were forced to play an eight-man rotation, with rookie Kobe Sanders starting and playing over 35 minutes, and only Jordan Miller, Nicolas Batum, and Brook Lopez coming off the bench. They were still able to come away with the clutch win against the Golden State Warriors, but the Clippers' depth will continue to be a serious issue going forward.

One of the big reasons why has been the absence of Bogdan Bogdanovic. The veteran shooting guard has missed the last five games with a hamstring injury and remains without a timetable to return. The Athletic's Law Murray reported on Monday that Bogdanovic will miss the team's three-game East Coast road trip this week. The next chance for the 33-year-old shooter to suit up will be on Monday against the Charlotte Hornets at Intuit Dome.

Bogdan Bogdanovic to Miss At Least Another Week

The fact that Bogdanovic is getting ruled out for an entire week for injury management reasons is not a good sign for his availability going forward. He has only played in 16 games this season (partly because he was briefly out of the rotation during early-season struggles), after only playing 54 last season.

The Serbian scorer is not the player he once was earlier in his career, but the Clippers desperately need him for shot creation and spacing. This need was further exacerbated by Bradley Beal's season-ending injury and Chris Paul's departure from the team. The Clippers are low on offensive players and had to rely significantly on Sanders' mid-range jumpers to survive against Golden State. Even then, the Clippers only had a 105.2 offensive rating.

That is why Harden and Leonard have to carry a massive load, both in terms of minutes and usage. If Harden is to miss any more time with his shoulder issue, the Clippers will be in trouble because of their lack of backcourt depth. Bogdanovic doesn't seem anywhere near a return, and the Clippers still haven't solved the Chris Paul problem. With Derrick Jones Jr. also sidelined, the team is lacking in competent role players. Let's hope that the injury concerns don't worsen after the Clippers finally look like a more competitive team.