Bradley Beal’s path back to the court for the Los Angeles Clippers is looking increasingly uncertain.
The Clippers have stumbled to a 2-8 start, and Beal has been nowhere to be found in the rotation. He hasn’t played in the NBA since November 2025, and the latest update from head coach Tyronn Lue doesn’t exactly point toward a quick return.
“Every time we get him on the court to do something three days in a row, then it's like, it's not good results,” he said.
Beal originally went down with a broken hip in a game against the Phoenix Suns, an injury that ended his season and required surgery. Since then, he has been cleared to play, but the Clippers have run into repeated setbacks whenever they’ve tried to increase his workload.
At the moment, Beal is out because of what has been described as right knee inflammation and recovery management. Earlier this season, he said his hip had recovered to almost perfect condition, but that hasn’t translated into meaningful progress toward a return date.
His 2024-25 season was cut short after just six games. In that stretch, he averaged 8.2 points and 1.7 assists.
Before that, Beal had logged 53 games in both the 2023-24 and 2022-23 seasons. He also last played more than 60 games in a season back in 2018-19.
Now 33, Beal is still trying to get back to the level he once showed with the Washington Wizards. The three-time All-Star last averaged more than 20 points per game in 2022-23, his final season in Washington, when he put up 23.2 points and 5.4 assists per game. That was the seventh straight season he cleared that scoring mark.
For now, though, there’s no clear timetable on when - or if - he’ll be able to make an impact for the Clippers this season.
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