What It Means:

"We need him to be a solid veteran player, we need him to be a leader as much as he can lead, to be a great example, to be a teacher to [Ivica Zubac], and then really just to be ready when called upon," coach Doc Rivers said Sunday during a videoconference with reporters. "I think mentally he's in the right space right now to be ready, so I think he will be." Montrezl Harrell has reportedly left the Orlando bubble in order to attend to an emergency family matter and Zubac's status is currently unknown. If nothing progresses, Noah could be the Clippers' only center when they return to the court on July 30 against the Los Angeles Lakers. Noah was signed by the Clippers in late June. The last time he played was March 23, 2019 with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Noah averaged 7.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 16.5 minutes over 42 games with the Grizzlies in 2018-19. Per FanDuel Sportsbook, the Clippers have the third-best odds (+320) to win the NBA Championship.