Injury Update: Why is Serge Ibaka out, and when will he return to the LA Clippers' lineup?

The LA Clippers signed one of the best free-agent centers in the NBA in the form of veteran Serge Ibaka last off-season.

He had a tremendous start to the campaign for his new team, scoring in double-digits in 19 of his first 27 games in the 2020-21 NBA season. Ibaka played 41 games in an injury-riddled campaign, averaging 11.1 points and 6.7 rebounds on 51% shooting from the floor.

He started having injury issues, reportedly back spasms, in March, just after the All-Star break. Ibaka missed two months of regular-season action before returning to play the last two games before the playoffs commenced.

Serge Ibaka mentioned on his return to action that he had been playing through pain since the start of the season. He wanted to play through the pain barrier, but things reached a stage that it became difficult for him to continue.

“I’ve been playing with my back pain since the beginning of the season. It’s been a very rough year for me since the beginning of the season, but I want to play through the pain, but at some point, I could not continue to play like that.” said Ibaka.

Nevertheless, Serge Ibaka's return was a welcome boost for the LA Clippers, and they were expecting him to play a key role in the 2021 NBA playoffs.

However, Ibaka could only play the first two games of the opening round against the Dallas Mavericks. He complained of back-spasms again and was subsequently sidelined for the rest of the playoffs.

Serge Ibaka ruled out for the season, undergoes back surgery

Serge Ibaka in action

After missing 30 games in the regular season and six in the NBA playoffs due to back spasms, Serge Ibaka decided to have back surgery, which ruled him out for the rest of the postseason.

Clippers say C/F Serge Ibaka underwent season-ending back surgery.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 11, 2021

Serge Ibaka was added to the squad because of his championship experience and ability to space the floor, courtesy of his three-point shooting. So his absence was a big blow for the LA Clippers, who were already down 2-0 against the Utah Jazz. Nevertheless, they managed to win the series 4-2.

The Clippers turned to a small-ball lineup in Ibaka's absence, deploying Nicolas Batum at 5 instead of Ivica Zubac. That was predominantly to deal with the defensive threat Rudy Gobert posed for the Jazz inside the paint.

The LA Clippers are once struggling, now against the Phoenix Suns in the NBA Conference Finals. DeAndre Ayton has been phenomenal for Monty Williams' side, so Serge Ibaka's presence could have given the Clippers a chance to explore ways to limit Ayton. In Ibaka's absence, the Clippers have turned to veteran DeMarcus Cousins.

There is nothing I would love more than being on the court helping my brothers and trying to win a championship for #ClipperNation. It's been a very tough season, I worked very hard to be back in time for the Playoffs... pic.twitter.com/i10lKmOzEn

— Serge Ibaka (@sergeibaka) June 11, 2021

Serge Ibaka, who has been ruled out for the rest of the season, will only feature next season.

He signed a two-year $19 million deal with the LA Clippers and has a player option this summer. If he does opt in, he will continue with the team next season as well. However, there is no update on whether he will be cleared to play right from the start of the upcoming 2021-22 NBA campaign.