Clippings: Jason Preston will miss the beginning of training camp

Every team hopes for a clean bill of health entering training camp, to at least start the season off on the right foot. Alas, that right foot is now a problem for Clippers rookie Jason Preston.

In a Zoom call with reporters Friday, Lawrence Frank broke the news that Preston hurt his right foot in a group workout last week. Frank said that the team would get more information within the next few days as to the severity of the injury, but for now, Preston will be joining Kawhi Leonard on the shelf for training camp, which begins Tuesday in San Diego.

It’s an unfortunate start to Preston’s pro career, as Frank noted that the 33rd selection in this year’s draft had made “terrific progress” in his playmaking and pick-and-roll ability during the offseason. This comes after Preston averaged 4.8 assists to just 1.4 turnovers in 23.6 minutes per game in Summer League.

Other than Preston, the Clippers don’t really have any true point guards on the roster, as Eric Bledsoe and Reggie Jackson are probably closer to combo guards. There was a report from Spotrac that Jordan Ford — who and played for the Agua Caliente Clippers last year and was on the Summer League roster — would be invited back to training camp. However, Clippers beat reporter Andrew Greif of the L.A. Times contradicted that report, which makes logical sense since the Clippers already have 20 players in camp.

Frank did inadvertently suggest that Preston could be out for an extended period. When asked about what the Clippers plan to do with their 15th roster spot, he mentioned Amir Coffey and the trio of players in consideration as the team’s third center. Frank also said, “Depending on the length of Preston’s injury, that may open another potential opportunity.”

Hopefully, the rookie makes a swift recovery. Until then, the Clippers have plenty of playmakers at other positions and have demonstrated they don’t need a traditional lead guard to run their offense.

More news for Monday:

• Matt Sullivan has a must-read report about unvaccinated players in the NBA. Curtis Harris provides an interesting analysis of that news.
• Speaking of Clippers point guards, Yogi Ferrell is receiving interest from Panathinaikos in Greece but would prefer to remain in the NBA.
• Fellow former Clipper Daniel Oturu was waived by the Grizzlies but will be joining the Bulls for training camp.
• The Kawhi Leonard basketball court was unveiled in Moreno Valley over the weekend, with the Clippers star on hand.
• Brandon Boston Jr. is signing a shoe deal with Nike. Worth noting that Kentucky is a Nike school.
• An unconventional tiered ranking of NBA teams entering the season.
• An interesting article about ESPN’s increasing overtures into the world of sports betting.
• WNBA legend Sue Bird may have played the final game of her basketball career yesterday in the Seattle Storm’s playoff loss. Salute to a legend.