After missing the start of this season because of a torn left Achilles tendon, Los Angeles Clippers veteran guard Chauncey Billups will make his 2012-13 debut against the Minnesota Timberwolves Wednesday night, according to Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports:

The 36-year-old point guard/shooting guard was a huge addition to a young Clippers team last season, and the franchise hopes to pick back up where it left off when Billups went down due to injury in February.

 

What It Means

While Clippers fans, team officials and Billups himself will be excited to get the former All-Star back on the court, the expectations must be kept low while the veteran works himself back into game shape.

Billups isn’t a young man anymore, and it may take several games for the guard to get back to an elite level. The coaching staff must keep an eye on Billups and make sure he doesn’t push himself too much too soon and undo all the hard work he has put into his recovery.

The veteran will have limited minutes for the first week or so, but the Los Angeles faithful must be patient as Billups relearns to work with the team, and his teammates learn to feed off of his play.

 

What’s Next?

The Clippers are 8-6 on the season and playing solid basketball, but Billups' return can take them from being a middle-of-the-pack contender to one of the top teams in the league.

A Los Angeles backcourt of Chris Paul at point guard and Billups playing shooting guard is one of the most dangerous in the league if—and that is a big if—the returning veteran can get back to a high level of play and stay healthy.

The Clippers need more depth at both guard positions, and they found it with the returning Billups.

 

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