Jordan Miller’s 2026-27 season may be over before it starts. The Los Angeles Clippers confirmed their fourth-year guard underwent surgery to repair a torn left rotator cuff – the injury happening during an offseason workout – with a six-month reevaluation window, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
Six months from late August lands in late February at the earliest. Any complication pushes that further, and a full-season loss is not off the table.
A brutal break after a breakout
Miller, 26, spent two seasons scrapping for minutes after going 48th overall in the 2023 draft. In 2025-26, he finally stuck as a reliable rotation wing – good enough that the Clippers locked him in on a three-year, $15.3 million restricted free agent deal this summer. The shoulder went before he played a game under that contract.
The timing stings harder given context. Just days before Miller’s diagnosis, Bennedict Mathurin had already walked out the door – two years, $16 million, New Orleans. LA was counting on Miller to absorb part of that exit.
Thin rotation heading into camp
Head coach Tyronn Lue faces a noticeably short wing group as training camp approaches. No public moves to fill the gap yet, though non-guaranteed deals and late additions remain options.
Rotator cuff repairs at the professional level typically require six to nine months of rehab. Miller’s earliest realistic return is February or March – which means any Clippers playoff push would need to carry him to the finish line.
The team has not ruled out a full season absence.
