Brandon Ingram will miss the start of the LA Clippers’ season after doctors discovered and addressed a partially torn Achilles tendon during the right heel surgery he had in May, delaying the two-time All-Star’s debut for his new club.
Interim president of basketball operations Trent Redden revealed the previously undisclosed Achilles injury at Clippers media day, ESPN and The Associated Press via NBA.com reported. There is no timetable for Ingram’s return.
“It wasn’t until we got our hands on [Ingram] here that we started to see where he was at with his progression,” Redden said, according to ESPN. “He won’t be ready for the start of the season, and we’ll reevaluate when we get there.”
How the injury was found
Ingram missed the final two games of the Toronto Raptors’ first-round series loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers with the heel injury before having surgery. The Achilles damage was discovered and addressed during that operation, according to ESPN.
Redden noted the recovery time for a partially torn Achilles is typically “about six months less” than for a full tear, ESPN reported.
Ingram said he had been playing through pain for much of last season.
“I had been dealing with some pain throughout the year with the Raptors and especially coming down in crunch time. I didn’t quite know what it was,” Ingram said, according to ESPN. “Near the end of the season, we figured out what it was. We thought surgery was the best thing to do.”
Ingram: “I’m coming along”
The 29-year-old described his rehabilitation as a “week-by-week thing” and said he would take only a limited part in training camp, which opens in Hawaii.
“I’m doing well in my recovery,” Ingram said, according to ESPN. “I’m coming along. I’ve been in the facility for a little more than a month now. Getting on the court a little bit and getting stronger.”
A big hole in the new-look Clippers
The Clippers acquired Ingram and guard Gradey Dick from Toronto in the trade that sent Kawhi Leonard to the Raptors earlier this month, according to ESPN. Ingram averaged 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Raptors last season and is on the Clippers’ books for US$40 million this season, with a US$41.9 million player option for 2027-28.
Guard Darius Garland is already excited about their partnership once Ingram is fit.
“Whenever [Ingram] comes back, when he gets out there, I think our pick-and-roll will be the No. 1 thing we go to,” Garland said, according to ESPN. “I think that can be really nasty.
“He’s super crafty. I’m super excited to play with him for sure.”
Ingram is not the only Clipper on the sidelines. Redden said guard Bradley Beal is dealing with right knee inflammation and won’t be available for the start of training camp, while Jordan Miller had surgery after tearing his left rotator cuff in a summer pick-up game and will be reevaluated in five months, NBA.com reported.
The Leonard saga that preceded the trade was covered in TSB’s report on the Clippers losing five draft picks.
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