Clippers rule Ingram, Beal, Strus and Konan Niederhauser out for start of season; Kobe Sanders trending toward opener

The LA Clippers will open the regular season without Brandon Ingram, Bradley Beal, Max Strus and Yanic Konan Niederhauser. The team gave the update Wednesday before its preseason finale against the Denver Nuggets at Intuit Dome, a week before the Oct. 21 opener at home against the Sacramento Kings.

There was some good news in the same update. Ingram and Konan Niederhauser have moved on to on-court work. Kobe Sanders sat out against Denver, but the Clippers are optimistic he will be available on opening night, Janis Carr and Joey Linn reported.

BI and Yanic doing court work but along with Max Strus and Beale will not be ready for the start of the season.

Kobe Sanders is out tonight but the team is optimistic about playing opening night.

— janis carr (@janiscarr) October 15, 2026

Court work, but no opener

Ingram has been rehabbing a partially torn Achilles that the Clippers learned about this summer. On Tuesday, Tyronn Lue said the forward was ramping up and doing more on the floor, but that a return was still going to take a while. Wednesday’s update put a firmer line under that: he is not going to be ready for the Kings.

Konan Niederhauser, the 2025 first-round center, is still working his way back from foot surgery in March. Reaching court work is a step forward, but like Ingram he has no return date. With him out, Isaiah Jackson started at center against Denver.

Brandon Ingram and Yanic Konan Niederhauser have progressed to court work.

They won’t be ready for the season opener, but the Clippers are optimistic Kobe Sanders will be available.

— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) October 15, 2026

Beal and Strus also out for the start

Beal is dealing with inflammation in his right knee. Tomer Azarly reported Wednesday that he is still not taking part in five-on-five work and is limited to individual development work while the team manages the inflammation. Lue said Tuesday there was no timetable and that the Clippers want him to feel good before he steps on the floor.

Strus was diagnosed early this month with a partially torn plantar fascia in his right foot after getting hurt in the preseason opener against Golden State. He was set to be re-evaluated about four weeks after the diagnosis, so missing opening night was expected. Jordan Miller remains out long term after left rotator cuff surgery in August.

Sanders trending toward opening night

Sanders has been held back by a left hip impingement that kept him out of the preseason opener. He had been limited to individual work and listed as day-to-day. Of the Clippers players sidelined this week, he is the only one the team expects to have back for Oct. 21.

Kris Dunn was also out against Denver for rest. Lue started Darius Garland, Keaton Wagler, Derrick Jones Jr., Rui Hachimura and Jackson in the preseason finale, with Ingram, Beal and Strus all still weeks from playing.