Derrick Jones Jr. Speaks on the Good Vibes of New-Look Clippers Team

Every team talks about chemistry in the fall, but forward Derrick Jones Jr. sounded like a player who really likes the room he is in as the Los Angeles Clippers get ready for their first season without forward Kawhi Leonard.

When Jones spoke to reporters at practice on Tuesday, he spent his time on the mood around a very different roster.

"We got a whole lot of energy, a whole lot of goofballs. We all play a lot. We love being around each other. We enjoy all the moments that we are together. It is a fun time. When we all on the floor, we all laugh, we all joke. It is not just like there are no cliques, we all are one," Jones said during the team's practice media session.

He added that the lack of cliques is what he likes most about this group, since when one player starts joking around, the whole team joins in.

That good mood comes after a summer full of change, as the Clippers traded Leonard to the Toronto Raptors in a deal that brought back forward Brandon Ingram and guard Gradey Dick, and the front office added several new faces, including forward Rui Hachimura and guard Max Strus.

I like hearing Jones say everyone is getting along this well with so many new players in one building, because that does not always happen this fast.

Camp has already brought some bad news, as Strus suffered a partial tear of the plantar fascia in his right foot during the preseason opener against the Golden State Warriors on Sunday in Honolulu, and he will be reevaluated in four weeks, according to ESPN.

The Clippers still won that game 104-101, but losing Strus was a tough blow for a lineup that was counting on him to help point guard Darius Garland.

Ingram is also still recovering from a partially torn Achilles, and the team has said he will not be ready at the start of the season.

I think a close group helps the most in a spot like this one, because when two players who were supposed to carry a big load are out, the rest of the roster has to pick up the slack without pointing fingers, and a team that likes each other is more likely to do that.

Jones is a big part of that plan, since he was with the first unit in camp alongside Garland, Strus, Hachimura and center Isaiah Jackson, and the early starting lineup hints point to him playing a big role on defense.

The Clippers face the Raptors in Vancouver on Saturday, then host the Denver Nuggets at Intuit Dome on Wednesday, Oct. 14, before opening the regular season at home against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday, Oct. 21.

Not many people expect much from this team, and with Strus and Ingram both out to begin the year, the first few weeks will not be easy.

Good vibes in October do not win games by themselves, but if Jones and the rest of the group still feel this way after a few losses, I would not count this team out.