Brandon Ingram is getting close to making his Clippers debut, and the forward says the final stretch of his rehab is now about comfort, rhythm and getting back to the kind of basketball he knows.
Speaking to reporters at practice over the weekend, Ingram said he’s moved well past the early stages of recovery from the surgery he had in May to address a bone spur in his heel and a partially torn Achilles tendon.
Kobe Sanders hyped up Brandon Ingram in the background of his interview at Clippers practice.
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) November 6, 2026
Sanders: “Uh oh! Uh-oh! That means he's coming back soon?”
Brandon Ingram then adds: “I'm coming back soon, for sure. I've been on the floor with the rest of the guys, doing some… pic.twitter.com/cGAR0qRyA3
“I’m pretty close” Ingram told reporters at a practice this past weekend. “I’ve been on the floor a little bit.
More than I have been in the past. Of course, I didn’t have the summer to do five-on-five at all.
Moving also. So, you know, I’m gaining that confidence right now.”
He had been a very limited participant through Clippers training camp, but the workload has picked up in recent weeks. Ingram is now doing three-on-three and five-on-five with full contact, though he still has a few boxes to check before he’s ready to go.
“I feel good,” Ingram added. “I’ve been on the floor with the rest of the guys.
Doing some three-on-three and five-on-five a little bit. So my body is feeling good.
My heel is feeling better. So we’re getting closer.
“No target date, but whenever I feel ready. Still got to do some more five-on-five and get comfortable on the floor.
And be comfortable jumping and doing the stuff that I do normally on the floor. So it’s going to take a little time, but I’ll be ready soon.”
The timing matters for a Clippers team that has already had to grind through a rough start. Los Angeles opened the season with a win over the Sacramento Kings, then dropped seven straight and slid down the standings after struggling to finish games in the fourth quarter.
The numbers tell the story of a team that starts fast but fades: the Clippers own a first-quarter net rating of +6.2, which ranks 10th in the NBA, but that drops to 18th in the second quarter at -3.8, 21st in the third at -5.9 and 25th in the fourth at -10.9.
Ingram said he sees the strain on the group and believes his return can help ease some of the burden.
“I actually want to commend those guys because everybody is in new positions and asked to do more,” Ingram explained. “So the guys are trying.
They’re playing really, really good defense and trying to figure it out on the offensive end. Just when I come in, I want to play-make and make it a little bit easier for guys to catch and shoot and not make so many decisions.
And be able to, when it gets down to it, be able to score.”
“I just [want to] add what I do well. Come in and try to lead.
I’m not the only guy, you know, Max came back and had a big impact on the team. He’s made the team better.
Yanic is coming back soon. We’ve got some guys coming back soon.
So, you know, as a full team, I think we’ll mesh well and we’ll be a little better than we have been. But, you know, these games that we’ve lost, we’ve been right in the game.
Just fix a few mistakes and we can win over here.”
Last season with the Toronto Raptors, Ingram posted 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game while shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 38.2 percent from three. That kind of production would give the Clippers a needed lift, especially for the players who have been carrying the load offensively.
Darius Garland said after Sunday night’s win that the return of Ingram and Yanic Konan Niederhasuer should change how defenses treat him.
“When BI and Yanic get back, I don’t think I’ll be getting doubled as much,” Garland said after Sunday night’s win. “And I think that’s a respect thing, but I probably won’t get doubled as much.”
The Clippers now head into a busy stretch, visiting the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night before coming home for an NBA Cup matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night. They also have a practice day on Thursday, which could be the last chance for Ingram to get a meaningful tune-up before he’s cleared to return to the Clippers lineup.
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