LA Clippers big man Joakim Noah shared his thoughts on his team debut in Wednesday's scrimmage.
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00:00 There are several things to take away from Wednesday's point between the LA Clippers and Orlando Magic,
00:04 but Joaquin Noah's performance might be the biggest. In his first bout of NBA action over 480 days,
00:10 the 35-year-old veteran of Big took the floor as a starter for a team seeking to win an NBA title come October.
00:16 This was circumstantial, of course, as the Clippers are currently without Ibiza Zubats and Montrezl Harrell, but it's a fascinating thing nonetheless.
00:23 When it was all said and done, Noah had recorded four points, five rebounds, and three assists in 15 minutes,
00:29 which is not a bad line all things considered.
00:31 After the game, he spoke about what it was like to be back on the floor for the first time in over a year,
00:35 saying, "It felt good to play basketball again. We've been working really hard in this quarantine just to get out there.
00:41 It's very different, no fans, energy is very different.
00:44 It's gonna have to come from the players, but it definitely felt great playing basketball again."
00:48 As solid as his stats were, Noah looked surprisingly comfortable with his new team.
00:52 He made fantastic reads and passes, finding guys like Amir Coffey and Marcus Morris for easy three-point buckets.
00:58 He was an active screener and looked great on the glass.
01:00 Doc Rivers seemed particularly satisfied with Noah's performance in his debut,
01:04 calling him "an elite passer" and praising his ability to make decisions with a ball of paint.
01:09 Noah responded by saying, "Whatever my role is going to be, I'll do my best. It feels great to get a compliment from Doc like that."
01:15 It's hard to say how often Noah will play once Zubats and Harrell return from the Clippers,
01:19 but for the time being, he should continue to start at the 5 for LA.
01:23 The team's next tournament will take place this Saturday, July 25th at 8 p.m. Eastern Time against the Washington Wizards.