The NBA is gearing up for its restart next week, with scrimmage games taking front and center in Orlando as a host of teams prepare to resume an eight-game regular-season slate in Orlando to help determine which teams will qualify for a postseason run on the Disney World campus.
It hasn’t been without its hiccups. A couple of players broke quarantine early on, but since then, a second round of testing revealed no new positive tests for COVID-19, indicating that the safety precautions put in place are currently working and the return of NBA basketball is upon us.
Still, several players have been forced to leave the bubble in Orlando for various reasons. On Friday, news emerged that Clippers guard Lou Williams is the latest player to have to do so, as he needs to attend to a personal matter, but is expected to return to his team and participate in the restart.
Lou Williams has left the Clippers and the NBA campus due to an excused absence. He is expected to return. Williams joins Montrezl Harrell and Patrick Beverley as Clippers who have had to leave to tend to an issue.
— Ohm Youngmisuk (@NotoriousOHM) July 24, 2020
That makes Williams the third Clippers player to leave Orlando recently, as Montrez Harrell and Patrick Beverley have each departed for personal reasons. Zion Williamson is another high-profile player who has left the bubble and who has no clear timetable for a return.
The situation leaves the Clippers badly depleted as they prepare to restart the season, though it’s clearly more important that they attend to their personal matters first before returning to Orlando.
