Clippers’ Isaiah Jackson injury takes a turn, Tyronn Lue non-committal

The Los Angeles Clippers’ Isaiah Jackson is inching closer to his return from an ankle sprain that he suffered on March 27. The 24-year-old forward has missed a total of six games thus far but participated in full team practice, including 5-on-5 action, per a post on X by Law Murray.

However, that does not mean he is odds-on to feature in the Clippers’ first play-in game against the Golden State Warriors. As things stand, his status remains undetermined, per head coach Tyronn Lue.

“His status for tomorrow is still undetermined,” he said.

In his 17 appearances with the team following his midseason arrival, he has averaged 7.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.2 blocks in 15.9 minutes per game. His return comes at a crucial time, with the Clippers recently relying heavily on veteran Brook Lopez, who has logged 27.5 minutes per game since the trade deadline.

Jackson, alongside Bennedict Mathurin, was part of the trade that saw the likes of Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown join the Indiana Pacers. He quickly became a key rotational piece and has played almost 16 minutes per appearance thus far despite not logging a single start.

Jackson arrived from Indiana after four and a half seasons. He was initially selected by the Pacers as the 22nd overall pick of the 2022 draft. In his overall time with Indiana, he averaged seven points and 4.5 rebounds per game across a total of 201 appearances, with only 45 starts. Jackson is also the only other recognized center on the Clippers roster apart from Lopez. That means he may as well feature in some capacity against the Warriors as well.

A mobile athlete capable of making an impact on both ends of the court, Jackson does not provide the Clippers the kind of size and defensive presence that Lopez is known for. However, he is an efficient scorer and has an overall shooting efficiency of more than 76% since making his debut for LA.

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