Bennedict Mathurin at center of Clippers’ rush to integrate trade-deadline additions

Two days after the All-Star break, bennedict mathurin joined new teammates in a second straight Los Angeles Clippers practice as the club worked to fold three trade-deadline additions into the rotation before Thursday night’s game against the Denver Nuggets.

Bennedict Mathurin brings scoring punch and quick debut

Mathurin, the player the team called its most significant addition from the Indiana Pacers trade, has already shown the scoring the Clippers expect. He is averaging 17. 8 points and 5. 4 rebounds per game this season after missing most of January with toe and thumb injuries. In his Clippers debut on Feb. 10 he scored nine points with four rebounds; the next night he finished with 16 points, three rebounds, three assists, one blocked shot and three steals in 31 minutes.

bennedict mathurin said he found it helpful that teammates were familiar with his game but added there is "still a lot more to learn with the system, offensive, defensive and especially off the court as well. " He pointed to opportunities to play more freely under coach Tyronn Lue and to show more while playing alongside established stars.

Three-center plan reshapes minutes for Lopez and Jackson

Coach Tyronn Lue has been testing personnel and minutes as the new arrivals acclimate. The staff discussed using three bigs — Brook Lopez, rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser and Isaiah Jackson — to avoid heavy minutes for Lopez and to give the team interior depth. Jackson, a 6-foot-8 power forward, saw just five minutes in the first game after the break but is expected to back up Lopez; he is averaging 7. 0 points, 4. 5 rebounds and 1. 2 blocked shots this season.

Lue noted the team cannot continue to play Lopez 34 or 35 minutes a night and is looking for opportunities to rotate the bigs so whoever performs best will earn minutes in the second half of games.

Bogdanovic out of rotation while Batum readies to return

Bogdan Bogdanovic remains out of the rotation as coaches make adjustments. Lue praised Bogdanovic’s presence around the team and urged him to "stay ready, " saying he will insert the veteran when the time is right rather than throw him into the lineup without the right opportunity. Nicolas Batum, who missed the last two games before the All-Star break, is set to return for Thursday’s clash with the Nuggets at Intuit Dome.

The team gathered players after practice for an NBA-mandated meeting and a meet-and-greet with wrestler CM Punk, an event that owner Steve Ballmer attended. Lue briefly left practice for a doctor’s appointment during the session, a sign of the compressed schedule and attention on quick integration as the run-in begins.

With the Clippers resuming play Thursday against Denver, the immediate focus is on getting new pieces comfortable in Lue’s schemes while preserving veteran minutes and managing roles. Batum’s planned return and the three-big rotation are the next concrete steps the staff will use as it finalizes the rotation for the stretch run.