Projecting Clippers’ Starting Lineup for Opening Night vs. Kings

Only one spot in the Los Angeles Clippers starting lineup is official ahead of Wednesday's opener against the Sacramento Kings at Intuit Dome, but three preseason games and a long injury list make the rest pretty easy to figure out.

Head coach Tyronn Lue settled the biggest question at practice on Saturday when he named center Isaiah Jackson as his starter for the first week, so the other four names below are my own projection.

Injuries took a lot of choices off the table, with forward Brandon Ingram, guard Max Strus and guard Bradley Beal all listed as out.

In comments he shared with reporters last week, Lue said Beal has no timetable and Ingram still has a while to go.

Strus partially tore the plantar fascia in his right foot five minutes into the preseason opener against the Golden State Warriors, and he was set to be reevaluated in four weeks.

He started that game next to point guard Darius Garland, and Lue has talked about how much the team will miss his movement and shooting.

Garland is the easiest pick after he started all three preseason games, and he had 15 points and six assists against Golden State and 14 points and seven assists against the Denver Nuggets.

Forward Rui Hachimura started every game too and scored 21, 14 and 16 points, so I expect him to carry a lot of the scoring until Ingram returns.

Forward Derrick Jones Jr. got all three starts as well and scored 14 points on 4-of-6 shooting in the finale against Denver, so I have him on the wing to guard the other team's best scorer.

Shooting guard is the one real battle, since three different guards started next to Garland in three games, and I would go with guard Keaton Wagler, the No. 5 pick in this year's draft, who had 12 points, five rebounds and four assists and made 3 of 7 from three when he got the start against Denver.

There was a strong case for giving the rookie that start, and he backed it up.

Garland liked what he saw from the rookie as well.

"He helps a lot. Bringing the ball up. A really good floor spacer for me when I'm driving and kicking," Garland told reporters.

Guard Kris Dunn is the other choice, since he started 68 of his 82 games last season and is expected to play Wednesday after he sat out the finale to rest. Dunn has also praised how fast Wagler picks things up, and I would rather have his defense leading a young second unit.

Jackson is my fifth starter, and center Brook Lopez, who started the preseason game against the Toronto Raptors, can protect the rim off the bench.

This lineup puts speed and defense around Garland and Hachimura and gives Wagler real minutes right away.

After the Kings, the Clippers visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday, so the group gets tested early, and if Wagler keeps making threes like he did against Denver, I would leave him in the first unit even after Strus is healthy again.