The 240 Minutes Series Explained:
In the NBA there are 450 players under full contracts to start every season. These players consist of superstars, all-stars, average players, guys dealing with injuries, benchwarmers, rookies, ring-chasers, and whatever Hassan Whiteside is. Despite the contracts, draft capital, coaching, potential, friendships, and experience that all play a role in rotation minutes, there are only 240 minutes every game to go around and split amongst the players.
In this series, we cut through all of that. Join the fun as we dig into the rosters of every NBA team and project how many rotation minutes will be played by each player to begin the season. This takes into account all active injuries and thinks about the rosters in terms of which 9-12 players on each team will actually be playing for their respective team for the first few weeks of the regular season. In addition to this, we will discuss the positions that they will be playing, why their minutes per game total is calculated where it is, and showcase the quality of the player that is allotted those minutes. The “quality of player” tiers will look as such:
MVP Candidate – Top 10 player and potential to win MVP this season
All-NBA Candidate – Top 30 player and potential to be on an All-NBA Team this season
High-End Starter – Quality starter with potential to make the All-star game this season
Starter – Quality starter and is (roughly) a top 120 player this season
Low-End Starter – Starts but is not (roughly) a top 120 player this season
Elite 6th Man – Does not start but is a top (roughly) 120 player and could win 6MOTY this season
High-End Backup – Does not start but could if needed and perform well
Backup – Does not start but is a quality role player
Low-End Backup – Could see minutes during regular season but might not make playoff rotation
Without further ado:
Where Will the 240 Minutes on the Los Angeles Clipper Go?
Paul George SG/SF/PF – All-NBA Candidate (34 minutes per game)
After not being selected for either the all-star game or any all-NBA team in 2019-2020, PG-13 bounced back last season making both. The 7-time all-star averaged 23.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 5.2 assists last year, all better than the year prior. In the playoffs, Paul George’s role increased even more with Kawhi Leonard going down with a knee injury. George played the 2nd most playoff minutes per game at 40.8, trailing only Damian Lillard (who played in just 6 games compared to Paul George’s 19). PG-13 will be asked to carry the load yet again as Kawhi is set to be out with his injury for a while. The good news is the Clippers have solid depth behind Paul George so Ty Lue can look to keep him in the 33-34-minute range.
Reggie Jackson PG/SG – Starter (32 minutes per game)
At times in the playoffs last season, Reggie Jackson looked like an all-star caliber guard, most notably in the close out game 6 against the Utah Jazz, where he dropped a 27-point, 10-rebound double-double on 62.5% shooting. For the playoffs as a whole Jackson averaged 17.8 points per game on 48/41/88 shooting splits. Jackson played 23.0 minutes per game in the regular season but increased to 32.7 minutes per game in the playoffs, which is closer to what he is projected to play in 2021-2022. Jackson is not a true point guard, but the Clippers are used to non-traditional PGs with the likes of Patrick Beverley and Lou Williams being the point guards for the Clippers the last few years before Jackson.
Marcus Morris PF/C – Starter (28 minutes per game)
The Morris twins are always polarizing players for fans, but Marcus has been a very consistent role player for the last 7 seasons. Last year, Morris was one of the most elite 3-point shooters (especially from the corner) in the entire NBA. Marcus Morris shot a whopping 47.2% from three on 5.2 attempts per game. He was asked to step up big for the Clippers in the playoffs as well and had some bad moments, but also posted five games of 22+ points in the playoffs. Two of these performances came in game 5 and game 6 of the Western Conference Finals. Morris averaged 26.4 minutes per game in the regular season and 31.8 minutes per game in the playoffs. In 2021-2022, he likely falls somewhere in between those two marks.
Nicolas Batum SF/PF/C – High-End Backup (28 minutes per game)
Batum has had a pleasant late-career resurgence with the Clippers. Most people thought his career was over when he was benched in Charlotte, but he has thrived as a switchable forward who can also play the small-ball 5 spot when needed. Batum shot 40% from three for the first time since the 2009-2010 season as well. While he never really lit up the stat sheet, Batum averaged 27.4 minutes per game and was an elite glue guy last season. He should see tons of minutes yet again with Kawhi out.
Terance Mann SG/SF – Starter (23 minutes per game)
If it weren’t for Reggie Jackson playing out of his mind all playoffs, Terrance Mann would have been the brightest spot of the postseason for the Clippers. In the close out game against the Jazz, Mann had one of the best playoff games for a role player of all time. He scored 39 points on 15/21 shooting and 7/10 from three as he carried the Clippers to the Western Conference Finals. Mann looks poised to play more minutes and potentially start at SG this upcoming year. He averaged 18.9 minutes per game in 2020-2021, but is projected to be in the 22-24-minute range to start this season.
Ivica Zubac C – Starter (23 minutes per game)
Meet the 2020-2021 leader in true shooting percentage, Ivica Zubac. He shot a league high 69.3% true shooting, while averaging 9.0 points and 7.2 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game. While he only started 33 of the 72 regular season games for the Clippers and there are some matchups where Zu simply cannot play a ton of minutes, he is still a quality starting center in the NBA. Look for him to have the exact same role as the end of last season.
Eric Bledsoe PG/SG – High-End Backup (22 minutes per game)
Last season was rough to say the least for Eric Bledsoe. With that being said, it wasn’t necessarily his fault. The Pelicans team construction made no sense and Stan Van Gundy was a mess. Bledsoe played the most shooting guard minutes of his career (64% of the time) and it was simply a bad fit as he is a career 33.7% three-point shooter. This season with the Clippers Bledsoe should be able to play much more PG. There is a world in which he starts, but Ty Lue will likely want to start Reggie Jackson and Terrance Mann, making Bledsoe the backup floor general. Bledsoe averaged 29.7 minutes per game last year but should see fewer minutes in LA.
Serge Ibaka C – High-End Backup (20 minutes per game)
Ibaka looked like an incredibly nice free-agent signing for the Clippers last off season. When he was actually on the court he looked… decent. He enters his 32-year-old season in 2021-2022 and definitely remains a serviceable starting-caliber Center, but it seems like he may come off the bench behind Ivica Zubac. Last season he averaged 11.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 23.3 minutes per game, but was only able to suit up in 41 regular season games and only played 18 total minutes in the playoffs. Health is the biggest concern with Ibaka at the moment, but hopefully in a slightly reduced role, he can avoid injuries and have a solid year.
Luke Kennard SG/SF – Backup (18 minutes per game)
Kennard is a terrible defender, likely the worst one on this entire Clippers team. Despite that, Kennard has value and the Clippers paid him as such, giving him a four-year deal worth $64 million, before he even stepped foot on the court for LAC. Last season, Kennard shot a career high 44.6% from beyond the arc, but only took 3.6 attempts per game. Overall he averaged 8.3 points in 19.6 minutes per game and did have five games with 20+ points, where he showed flashes of why the Clippers extended him. Kennard is probably the 9th man on this team (and 10th when Kawhi returns), but should still see steady minutes at backup SG in 2021-2022.
Justice Winslow SG/SF/PF – Low-End Backup (8 minutes per game)
Justice Winslow is the opposite of Luke Kennard in the fact that he is a terrible offensive player. The once-enticing 10thoverall pick from the 2015 NBA draft is a non-factor for the most part although he does present some nice switch-ability on defense as he can play SG, SF, or PF. These minutes could end up going to rookie Keon Johnson, but Johnson is a very raw prospect and Winslow at least has almost 300 games of NBA experience. Winslow averaged 19.5 minutes per game last season in 26 games for the Grizzlies. He can be viewed as a spot rotation player and defensive specialist for certain situations. Do not expect to see him in the rotation very much.
Jason Preston PG – Low-End Backup (4 minutes per game)
If you are looking for an intriguing prospect, look no further. Jason Preston was a 2nd round draft pick who went to Ohio University for college. Most people would have never heard of him if it weren’t for the #13 seeded Ohio Bobcats upsetting Virginia during March Madness. Preston nearly put up a triple-double in that game with 11 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists. It would have been his third triple-double of the season. Preston is a 6’5” guard who rebounds and facilitates the ball extremely well and he is the closest thing to a traditional point guard on the Clippers. He could see a few minutes behind Reggie Jackson and Eric Bledsoe.
Projected Nightly Depth Chart:
PG: Reggie Jackson/Eric Bledsoe/Jason Preston
SG: Terance Mann/Luke Kennard/Paul George
SF: Paul George/Nicolas Batum/Terance Mann
PF: Marcus Morris/Nicolas Batum/Justice Winslow
C: Ivica Zubac/Serge Ibaka/Nicolas Batum
Not in Initial Rotation:
Kawhi Leonard SF/PF (Injured)
Keon Johnson SG/SF
Yogi Ferrell PG
BJ Boston SF/PF
