By our count, the Clippers have had 1,451 minutes of player time sidelined over the 13 days since October 20, the most of the 30 teams. With the club 1-4 and 13th in the West, that shortage is shaping a rotation that has to win now.
No team in the league has been shorter-handed.
The 1,451 minutes cover 13 days, and the Clippers rank first of 30 in that count. Today's absences alone total 66 minutes: Max Strus at 24.0 a game, Jordan Miller at 22.1 and Bradley Beal at 20.2. The heaviest day cost 140. For scale, the whole league today has 1,359 minutes sidelined, so one roster has been carrying a huge share of the burden for nearly two weeks.
The return dates sit past most of this week's games.
Strus and Beal both carry an estimated return of November 8, the day of the Pelicans game. The Warriors, Raptors and Heat all come before it. Miller's estimate is March 2, 2027, so his minutes are gone for the foreseeable stretch. Short listings can mislead, too. Across the league, 65 of 112 players newly listed day-to-day missed their team's next game, 58 percent. Rui Hachimura went from out to day-to-day on October 29 and was cleared on October 30.
The standings have stopped forgiving the shortage.
At 1-4 with four straight losses, Los Angeles is 2.5 games behind sixth and 1.5 behind tenth, a spot the 3-3 Warriors hold today. Five games is a small sample, but the offensive rating of 104.4 and net rating of minus 5.9 fit a rotation asked to cover for three missing players. Darius Garland is averaging 22.0 points, and Keaton Wagler 14.4 in 26.2 minutes, so the load lands on a 19-year-old.
The milestones to watch are small, and they are projections.
Brandon Ingram is 4 rebounds short of 3,000 career boards. At last season's 5.6 a game, that is about one game away, assuming he plays. Kris Dunn is 11 steals short of 750, about 5 games at this season's 2.2 a game, and 60 assists short of 2,000, about 11 games at 5.6. Those paces are estimates, not promises. Dunn is logging 30.3 minutes a night, and his totals will move only if the rotation around him stays this thin.
How many minutes have the Clippers had sidelined this season?
By our count, 1,451 since October 20, the most of any of the 30 teams. Today's absences add up to 66 minutes.
When are Max Strus and Bradley Beal expected back?
Both carry an estimated return of November 8, the day of the Pelicans game. That is an estimate, not a confirmed date.
