LOS ANGELES_At some point during training camp, Wesley Johnson, Luc Mbah a Moute and Alan Anderson will settle the question of who will start at small forward for the Los Angeles Clippers.
On the first day of practice Tuesday at the Bren Events Center at UC Irvine, Mbah a Moute and Anderson spent time working with starters Chris Paul, J.J. Redick, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.
Johnson did all of his work with the reserves.
But Coach Doc Rivers said after practice that not too much should be read into the first day.
"I think that job is wide open," he said. "But I would say Luc, Alan, Wes would be the three (competing for the job)."
Rivers said that Mbah a Moute and Anderson were good defenders and tough, but Anderson is a "better shooter" and Mbah a Moute a "better cutter" to the basket. Johnson is considered the most athletically gifted of the three.
Mbah a Moute, who during the summer re-signed with the Clippers for $4.5 million over two years, started 61 games last season.
But the veteran, who averaged 17 minutes a game, said his playing time was inconsistent, so it was his job to "stay ready."
"It's hard because you never get into a rhythm when you don't play a lot," said Mbah a Moute, who averaged 3.1 points and 2.3 rebounds. "But it's about sacrifices, right? So when you're on a team like this, you want to sacrifice because you know you have a chance to do something special. If that's what it takes for me to help the team to win, I'll do it."
Anderson signed with the Clippers as a free agent, hoping to rebound from a disappointing season with the Washington Wizards. He played in only 13 games, sitting out most of the season because of a left ankle injury that required surgery.
But over a seven-year NBA career, Anderson has averaged 7.8 points and made 34.5 percent of his three-point shots.
Johnson started only nine times for the Clippers last season but was utilized in 71 other games; the team re-signed him to a three-year, $18-million deal.
He averaged 6.9 points and made 33.3 percent of his three-point shots, playing about 21 minutes a game.
"Yeah, we're competing for the job, but I don't think anybody is really looking at it like that," Johnson said. "Like last year we were rotating a lot of people at that position. So right now, we're just pushing each other."
