Clippers Provide Disappointing John Collins Injury Update Ahead of 2-Game Road Trip

Just when the Los Angeles Clippers got Darius Garland back and went on a winning streak, the injury bug hit again. John Collins, who suffered a collision in Sunday's game against the Pelicans and exited early, will miss at least the next two games for the Clippers. Team insider Joey Linn said that Collins will be re-evaluated when the Clippers return from their two-game road trip.

This suggests that Collins' absence may extend further than Friday's clash against San Antonio and Saturday's game against Memphis. The Clippers return home for a five-game stretch at the Intuit Dome, starting on Monday against the Knicks. Collins should be considered questionable at best for that occasion.

This is an unfortunate development for the power forward. He was previously listed on the injury report with neck soreness and a head laceration after suffering a nasty fall against the Lakers on February 20. He missed the next two games for the Clippers before returning against New Orleans on Sunday. After 24 minutes of action, Collins collided with an opponent and immediately held his arm and shoulder. Many wondered whether this was a stinger, but this update suggests that it could be a more serious, and potentially longer-term issue.

Clippers' Frontcourt Injuries Complicate Ty Lue's Plans

The Clippers were able to survive without Collins in the last two games, winning against the short-handed Warriors and the tanking Pacers. They will be facing a tougher challenge on the road against the 44-17 Spurs.

Ty Lue has replaced Collins with Kobe Sanders in the starting lineup. Sanders obviously doesn't have the same size and physicality as Collins, but he provides playmaking on the perimeter. He has been hitting his threes lately, giving the Clippers more shooting around Kawhi Leonard. Whether Lue will make any changes to his starting lineup going against the one-of-a-kind Victor Wembanyama remains to be seen.

At some point, Darius Garland will enter the starting lineup. Inserting him in there over Sanders makes some sense, but it also makes the Clippers significantly smaller. Bennedict Mathurin, Jordan Miller, and Nicolas Batum are other options the Clippers could use in the starting lineup.

Unfortunately, that is not the only rotation decision Lue has to make. Emerging rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser also suffered an injury against the Pacers and has been ruled out for the next two games. This means that the frontcourt rotation will look very different in San Antonio. Isaiah Jackson will almost certainly play more than usual, but whether Lue will rely on him extensively or if he will go with smaller, more dynamic units will be a storyline worth following.