There was a chance that neither of St. Louis’ brightest NBA stars would suit up on opening night of the 2025-26 season.
Jayson Tatum will likely miss the entire campaign as he recovers from a torn Achilles suffered in the NBA Playoffs in May.
Bradley Beal, who signed as a free agent with the L.A. Clippers after the Phoenix Suns bought out his contract, had minor knee surgery in May.
His return to the court for Wednesday’s season opener against host Utah was in doubt but Beal played in his team’s final preseason game on Friday, Oct. 17. He tallied 12 points, hitting six of nine shots from the field in 15 minutes of action.
Beal, the 2011 Gatorade national Player of the Year, starred at Chaminade before playing a season with Florida. He was drafted by the Washington Wizards with the third pick of the NBA Draft and played there for 11 seasons.
He had a pair of injury-filled seasons with the Suns before the trade which teams him with Clippers’ stars Kawhi Leonard and James Harden.
If the trio can stay healthy — and that is a big ‘if’— the Clippers should be a factor in the NBA Western Conference.
During his career, Beal is a three-time All-Star who has averaged 21.5 points, 4.3 assists, 4.1 rebounds over 13 seasons.
But Beal has been plagued with numerous injuries and has played in 60 or more games just six times.
Beal told retired Clippers star Lou Williams on “The Underground Lounge” podcast he is excited to be with his new team, which has a chance to reach the playoffs.
“I am excited,” Beal said. “For one, everybody and their mom (on Phoenix) was shooting. Once the buyout happened, it was like a pick of the litter. So, it wasn’t an easy decision to come down to, but in the end, it kind of became easier.”
Few fans may remember that Beal and his coach Ty Lue both hail from Missouri. Lue was born in Mexico, Mo., before moving with his family to Raytown and starring with Raytown High School.
Lue said during Clippers’ media day that he does expect Beal to be the youthful superstar who once averaged 30 points during a season.
“[I need him to be] the elite defender he has been in the past,” said Lue.
Beal said Lue “is on my bumper by the day about more on both ends [of the court.]”
“I am super excited to be where I am.”
While he has prolific scorers in Leonard and Harden, Lue knows his team’s defense must improve to reach the playoffs and make an extended run.
Noted defensive artists Nicolas Batum, Kris Dunn, and Derrick Jones Jr., were added to the team to shore up that phase of the game.
Beal, 32, is not the oldest addition to the team. 40-year-old guard Chris Paul joined the Clippers during the offseason after playing an amazing 82 games with the San Antonio Spurs during the 2024-25 season.
L.A. also added John Collins and Brook Lopez to the roster and is predicted to win about 50 regular season games. That would put Beal back in the playoffs and his career back on track.
The Reid Roundup
Is LeBron James faking his back injury as part of a plan to get away from the L.A. Lakers? Several NBA pundits including analyst Josiah Johnson are suggesting that is the case. I feel like that sciatica might be a little [fake.] Man had all summer to get right. He was out there on the golf course, 18 holing,” said Johnson…Kevin Durant, 39, has signed a $90 million two-year contract extension with the Houston Rockets. The 15-time All-Star would have been an unrestricted free agent following this season…After playing in just 19 games last year, the Philadelphia 76ers’ often-injured star, Joel Embiid played in his team’s final preseason game last Friday and was impressive. Embiid had 14 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and three steals in a 126-110 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.