Ty Lue Calls for One Clippers Player to Step Up in Rui Hachimura’s Absence

Head coach Tyronn Lue did not take long to name a replacement for forward Rui Hachimura, as the Los Angeles Clippers will turn to guard Kobe Sanders in the starting lineup when they face the Los Angeles Lakers at Intuit Dome on Wednesday night.

Hachimura is listed as out with left quad soreness on the league's injury report, and Joey Linn of SI.com reported that Hachimura felt the soreness after Sunday's game and did not practice on Tuesday.

When Lue was asked on Tuesday how the team would move forward without Hachimura, he gave a short answer in a clip posted by reporter Justin Russo and told reporters, "We'll start Kobe."

Lue added that Sanders finally has a couple of games under his belt, and he said those early games have worked like a preseason for Sanders, who got hurt on the first day of training camp and missed the exhibition schedule.

Sanders has come off the bench in all three games this season, but his best night came in the 108-101 loss to the Thunder on Sunday.

He scored 12 points in 20 minutes with four rebounds and two assists, made two of his five 3-point tries, and the Clippers were plus-11 with him on the floor in a game they lost by seven points.

Sanders has been in this spot before, since he made 16 starts in 68 games for the Clippers last season.

Wednesday will be his first start of this season, and the timing makes sense to me because he finally looks like he has his legs under him after missing the preseason.

Losing Hachimura hurts a group that was already thin, since he joins guard Bradley Beal, forward Brandon Ingram and guard Max Strus among the six Clippers ruled out for this game.

The Clippers are 1-2 after beating the Sacramento Kings 121-96 in the opener and then losing to the Lakers 125-117 and to the Thunder.

Hachimura talked about spacing being a problem after that first loss to the Lakers, and that issue gets harder to fix with another scorer on the sidelines.

Nobody is asking Sanders to carry all of Hachimura's scoring by himself, although he will have to hit open shots and keep the ball moving, because the Clippers cannot afford to let the offense get stuck again.

If he plays the way he did against Oklahoma City, I think he gives Lue a real answer for as long as Hachimura is out.

The Clippers also catch the Lakers on tired legs in this rematch, since the Lakers lost to the Portland Trail Blazers 136-129 at home on Tuesday night and will play on the second night of a back-to-back, while the Clippers have been off since Sunday.

After the Lakers, the Clippers head to Minnesota to face the Timberwolves on Friday.

Once the roster gets healthy, the full-strength rotation will get crowded, and minutes will be hard to find.

I would want Sanders on the floor in that group if he can give the Lakers the same energy he gave the Thunder, and a win would put the Clippers at 2-2 before they leave town.